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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26308441">Before You Left</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/hermioneobliviates/pseuds/hermioneobliviates'>hermioneobliviates</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Anne of Green Gables (TV 1985) &amp; Related Fandoms, Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery, Anne with an E (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 10:20:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>20,128</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26308441</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/hermioneobliviates/pseuds/hermioneobliviates</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>I originally started working on this on Wattpad (my username is @HermioneObliviates), so I wanted to share it on AO3 as well!</p><p>Well, Anne had finally gotten what she'd wanted. She had a tragical romance. A love story of her own to share, just like Miss Stacey. She now realized that it wasn't quite what she dreamed it would be. It felt as though someone had tore out her heart and shoved it back into her chest. The months leading up to this had been exquisite, divine, and simply extraordinary. She wouldn't have traded them for the world. But now, she wanted to take it all back. She never wanted to love again. She could never love him again. If she ever saw him again she would likely slap him right across the face. He had left her without warning, and she had no clue when he would be back. But then again, we all know that our Anne is slightly dramatic at times.</p><p>Oh, but Anne was getting ahead of herself. For now, Gilbert was fine, and he was with her.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Billy Andrews/Cole MacKenzie, Diana Barry/Jerry Baynard, Gilbert Blythe/Anne Shirley, Ruby Gillis &amp; Moody Spurgeon MacPherson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>44</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Competition</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Anne Shirley-Cuthbert, you best not be dawdling! I don't need Miss Stacy coming over to alert me of your tardiness again!" Marilla scolded. With little effort, her voice could be heard throughout the entirety of Green Gables. She heard a loud thud from above. "Anne?!"</p><p>"Coming, Marilla!" the girl seemed unfazed from her fall and bounded down the steps in pairs. "I am very much looking forward to school today. It's rather invigorating competing with Gil—my classmates."</p><p>Marilla hardly seemed to notice when Anne slipped up. Instead, she ushered her towards the nicely laid out breakfast on the wooden table. It all seemed unappetizing to Anne. She simply wanted to hurry up and get to school. To prevent herself from being further chastised, the redhead took a large bite out of a piece of toast before waving goodbye to her beloved guardian and rushing out the door.</p><p>She hurried back inside upon hearing Marilla yell, "Do you wish to catch your death? Come get your coat!" Anne grabbed the coat with a small grin and quickly thanked her before heading for school once more.</p><p>Anne nearly sprinted all the way into the forest, only stopping to catch her breath when she was near where she would usually meet Diana. Sure enough, the brunette was coming up on the path, happily skipping along without a care in the world. Anne's bosom friend immediately sped up as she saw her friend waiting for her. Diana enveloped Anne in a hug before the pair made their way to the schoolhouse with their arms linked.</p><p>The girls almost successfully made it to school with no interruptions, until a certain boy jogged to catch up with them. Anne rolled her eyes when she saw that it was none other than Gilbert Blythe, but Diana, being the "polite" one, smiled sweetly at him.</p><p>"Good morning," Diana greeted him cheerily, earning her a glare from her redhead friend. She shot her a look in return, subconsciously begging Anne to forget their rivalry for even one minute. Anne has no intention of being rude, seeing that she was now on good terms with Gilbert, but she couldn't help but feel some slight animosity toward the boy who had made it his objective to ruin her first weeks of school. Even forgetting that, their current situation certainly didn't promote peace or goodwill. The friendly competition between the two ensured that was impossible.</p><p>"Morning, Diana," Gilbert paused and looked over at the other girl, who seemed to be focused on arriving at school promptly. "Anne?" he timidly tried to greet her.</p><p>"It is a splendid morning, isn't it?" Anne eventually replied to no one in particular, only a split second before the trio entered the schoolhouse and they were forced to part ways. Gilbert couldn't help but smile foolishly at her remark, no matter how hard he tried to contain it. He was brought out of his thoughts by Miss Stacey's expectant voice as she asked him why he was still standing. He stood there for a moment before hurriedly taking his seat next to Charlie, who was snickering like a child.</p><p>Miss Stacey still remained confused. "Would you like to remove your hat and coat, Gilbert?" She watched the boy's face redden as he realized that he had never even hung them up. He did as he was told while the class laughed (except for Ruby, of course, she looked quite distraught). The teacher gave him a brief nod before continuing to begin the class. "Today we will have another spelling bee," Miss Stacy continued. She maintained a broad smile as the entire class audibly groaned, aside from Anne and Gilbert. "Now I don't wish to hear any of your complaining, as this opportunity is particularly special." Miss Stacy knew she had their attention now; the room had become silent and the student hung onto her every word with bated breath. "The winner of today's spelling bee will receive no homework for the rest of the week! In addition, they will choose our topic of discussion for our weekly journal entries on Friday." Suddenly, the class became more enthusiastic - even Billy sat up straighter in his seat at the prospect of being lazier than usual. "Well, we must start now if we wish to finish before lunch," Miss Stacy eyed Anne and Gilbert, who in particular had habitually taken longer than average to win when competing against each other. "Everyone, line up at the front of the room, please!"</p><p>Billy Andrews shoved his way through the others and towards the front of the room. He grinned upon noticing that he was the first one ready. This seemed ironic to Anne, since he would most definitely be one of the first ones out (along with Moody, but Moody's demeanor had never been as truly wretched as Billy's, making him quite likeable). Fairly shortly, the entire class was lined up at the front, with Billy starting the line and Gilbert finishing it.</p><p>"Billy, you will begin. Your word is 'atrocious'." Miss Stacey informed him, standing expectantly in between the rows of desks.</p><p>"Much like his behavior," Anne whispered to Diana, who giggled in response. Miss Stacey gave them a warning look before returning her gaze to Billy, who still seemed to be struggling.</p><p>He finally began, "A-t-r-o-s..."</p><p>"That is incorrect. Please take your seat." Miss Stacey smiled kindly at the boy as he passed. The bully's death glare seemed quite laughable at that moment. After waiting for the class to settle down again, she continued, "Charlie, please pick up where Mr. Andrews left off. Spell 'atrocious'."</p><p>The poor boy messed up after the first few letters as well, but his classmates reassured him it was a common mistake as he begrudgingly took his seat a row in front of Billy. The students moved over to fill in the empty space. It was customary for a word to be "thrown out" once two people missed it, and so, following this tradition, Miss Stacey scanned her list in search of the next suitable word.</p><p>"Moody, your word is soliloquy." Miss Stacey said. Moody seemed offended that someone would have to even attempt to spell that word. He spelled the word incorrectly, with both Anne and Gilbert thinking about how he probably wouldn't be able to spell 'truce'. Instead of even providing an answer, the poor boy was befuddled and simply hurried back to his desk before he could be humiliated further. Everyone ended up feeling quite sorry for him; even Josie Pye managed to not laugh in his face. It was Diana's turn next. After a bit of thought, she spelled it correctly.</p><p>A short while later, only two students remained. Obviously, these individuals were Anne Shirley Cuthbert and Gilbert Blythe.</p><p>Gilbert smiled as Anne managed to spell her word right - yet again. In the midst of the chaos of the classroom, Gilbert noticed that Anne had been staring at him. She quickly looked away and refocused her attention on Miss Stacey, and so Gilbert did the same.</p><p>"Please spell 'courageous', Mr. Blythe." Miss Stacey directed with a brief smile.</p><p>He nodded before spelling, "C-O-U-R-A-G-O-U-S."</p><p>Miss Stacey's grin faltered, but Anne looked rather pleased (Would you believe that she was trying to do her best to contain it?).</p><p>"I'm sorry that is incorrect. Anne, please spell 'courageous'. If you spell it correctly, you will be the winner!" she added the second part as more of an afterthought, but Anne was appreciative.</p><p>Anne spelled the word with ease, leading to applause coming from predominantly the girls. Charlie and Gilbert also clapped politely. Anne felt her heart begin to race as Gilbert approached her at the front of the classroom.</p><p>The boy leaned towards her ear and whispered, "I suppose I should've added the 'e'."</p><p>He grinned from ear to ear.</p><p>Anne gazed at him in alarm, her eyes widening.</p><p>"Well...yes, I suppose...I suppose so..." This was all she could manage to say as Gilbert rejoined his friends on the boy's half of the classroom, looking over his shoulder once to see her amusing reaction.</p><p>Miss Stacey walked towards her and informed her of the grand prize that she had won.</p><p>"That's awfully kind of you, Miss Stacey, but I feel that if I were to not complete my homework for a week I would be behind in my studies. However, I would love to choose our topic of discussion for Friday!" Anne cheerfully replied, trying to hide the fact that she was still recovering from her recent encounter with Gilbert.</p><p>"I would expect nothing less from you, Anne Shirley. Thank you. Now you may take your seat."</p><p>Anne nodded and took her seat next Diana. Her best friend bombarded her with questions, but none of them seemed to register in Anne's mind. Anne paid attention to nothing else throughout the rest of the school day, including the way Gilbert stared at her for the majority of the time. But although Anne may not have noticed this, everyone else in Miss Stacey's class was well aware. This was all thanks to everyone's favorite busybody, Josie Pye.</p><p>"I simply don't understand!" Ruby cried out. "Anne is one of my best friends. She would never do this to me! Perhaps there has been a mistake. Maybe Gilbert was looking at me!"</p><p>Josie had caught Ruby by the small stream outside the classroom going to get her milk during lunch. All of the other girls were cheerfully seated inside the classroom, oblivious to the storm brewing near them.</p><p>"Ruby, I promise you, that orphan ripped him out of your grasp. This is all her doing!" Josie replied. </p><p>"I...I don't...don't know, Josie..." Ruby managed in between sobs. "I think...I think I better talk to Anne. All he did was <em>look </em>at her, I don't...I don't think so."</p><p>"But Ruby," Josie persisted relentlessly. "What do you think will happen if you ask her about it?! She'll tell you whatever you want to hear. She's a lying piece of trash, and I don't see why you should feel any different after what she's done to you! She took Gilbert from you, Ruby. He is yours! You can't let her get away with this!"</p><p>This only made Ruby sob even harder.</p><p>"But...But Josie, this isn't like...this isn't like before. Anne told me she would never do that to me...and...and I believe her."</p><p>"Ugh!" Josie raged. "I don't see why you're all so loyal to that stupid brat anyway! You'll see, Ruby! I'm right about her, and I'll prove it! Just don't come crying to me when it turns out I was right all along."</p><p>With that, she left poor Ruby crying again.</p><p>The end of the day came quickly, but not quickly enough for the students of Avonlea. As Anne collected her books, Diana's eyes widened and she discretely motioned for her to look behind them. </p><p>"Anne, may I walk with you?"</p><p>Anne heard the voice behind her and couldn't help but stop in her tracks. She whirled around in an instant and was surprised that she felt disappointed by what she saw. It was Charlie Sloan. The topic of walking made Anne realize that Diana had snuck off as soon as they exited the schoolhouse. Anne felt ashamed that she hadn't noticed before; her own thoughts were clearly preoccupying her.</p><p>"Anne?"</p><p>"Oh! Yes, of course..."</p><p>If Charlie noticed Anne's strange behavior, he pretended not to notice. He seemed content as they began to make their way down the dirt path. They were still relatively close to the school. Not long after, Anne began to hear the soft patter of someone jogging behind them. This time, it was the person Anne had originally hoped for (not that she would admit that to herself, obviously).</p><p>"Anne, hi." Gilbert said with a smile. His smile faltered when he saw Charlie walking closely beside her. "You too, Charlie."</p><p>"Uhh...Gilbert, hello." Anne replied dumbly. Those were the only words that would come to her at the moment. However, it didn't seem to matter much, as his gaze was solely fixed on Charlie.</p><p>"Charlie, I was fairly certain that you lived the other way - south of the schoolhouse." Gilbert wondered aloud as he flashed him a pointed look. Anne began to feel rather uncomfortable, and Charlie became very red in the face.</p><p>"Well...yes, I do," he eventually answered.</p><p>"Then I don't see what business you would have walking this way, do you?"</p><p>Anne realized that this was the first time she had seen Gilbert display any sort of animosity.</p><p>"I...I suppose not." Charlie glanced meaningfully at Anne. "Perhaps...perhaps you would like to join me, Anne?"</p><p>This further enraged Gilbert, and it was a wonder that he didn't hit Charlie right then and there.</p><p>"I really should be getting home, but thank you...Charlie." Anne responded as politely as she could, while she was still secretly grateful for Gilbert's rescue. "Have a good day," She received no response aside from a mumble from Charlie as he began to walk in the opposite direction.</p><p>"What was that all about?" Anne interrogated, suddenly ashamed of her actions. She wasn't quite sure what had come over her to make her be so rude to Charlie.</p><p>Gilbert harshly responded, "I could ask you the same thing." Upon seeing the look on Anne's face, he continued. "Is there something wrong with me wanting to walk home with you?"</p><p>"No...no, I...I didn't mean it like that. I just wondered why we couldn't walk with Charlie as well."</p><p>"Oh, come on, Anne, you're smart. Why would Charlie, someone you've barely spoken to in your life, suddenly want to walk home with you?"</p><p>"Maybe he wants some company, Gilbert." Anne felt herself growing annoyed with the boy alongside her.</p><p>"He likes you, Anne." Gilbert finally explained, barely masking the disdain in his voice.</p><p>"What?! Excuse me...you can't be serious! I can't think of one practical reason why anyone would like me. That's complete nonsense, Gilbert Blythe. Besides, if you're going to tease me like that then you might as well leave me alone."</p><p>"You really don't get it, do you?”</p><p>"Get what?" Anne was becoming infuriated at this point.</p><p>"He likes you, Anne Shirley Cuthbert! How difficult is that for you to see?!"</p><p>"<em>What?</em>"</p><p>"Don't act so surprised, Carrots," Gilbert muttered</p><p>"What exactly do you mean by that?!" Anne felt her breathing hitch as Gilbert stopped walking and looked at her firmly.</p><p>"And <em>what </em>did I tell you about using that awful name! I-"</p><p>"Anne, you may be the most intelligent person I know, but you are truly oblivious." Gilbert smirked as he saw the bewildered look on her face. He then continued to walk down the path, leaving Anne enraged.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Complications</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Anne receives some unexpected news and Gilbert contemplates his feelings.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After the previous day's events, Anne found herself inexplicably upset with the world in general. The only things that made sense to her were the things found in her textbooks, like physics or mathematics. She wished only that everything was so thought out. Anne mulled over all of this as she did her daily chores, in addition to her chores for Saturdays. She brushed Matthew's horse's mane fiercely, eventually earning her a loud grunt of disapproval. </p><p>"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I'm just afraid I'm in a bit of a predicament." She paused and smiled as she realized she was talking to the horse. She used to do this often when she first came to Avonlea, and it almost felt comforting to know that she was still more or less the same Anne as she was when she arrived. "How are you supposed to know if someone likes you, or if you like someone else? Truthfully, I never imagined myself in either situation, but now it seems that I'm in this situation anyway. There are these two boys in my class, you see, one of whom I never thought would ever like me, and another whom I don't think even considers me a friend based on the way I've treated him. It's quite sad, actually. I've never thought that I, Anne Shirley Cuthbert, would ever spend so much time contemplating something as trivial as members of the opposite gender. It's absurd, absolutely absurd!" She was yelling at that point. </p><p>"Anne...are you alright?" Matthew timidly stuck his head in the entrance to the barn. Anne glanced at him sheepishly before flashing him a reassuring smile. He simply nodded and continued his work. </p><p>As he left, Anne muttered to the horse, "I'm obviously too loud if even Matthew questions me,"</p><p>-----------</p><p>"Bash, may I ask you something?" Gilbert wondered as he cradled baby Delphine in his arms. </p><p>"I suppose, but I can't guarantee you an answer," Bash answered with a grin. </p><p>Gilbert shook his head playfully before continuing. "Well, I'm trying to understand this girl and-"</p><p>"Woah, woah, woah, Gilbert. You should've started with that and I'd be a lot more attentive. Are you saying that <em>the</em> Gilbert Blythe is coming to me with assistance on matters involving a girl?" </p><p>"Oh, be quiet. That's quite alright, I guess I'll find someone else to talk to..."</p><p>"Not so fast, Blythe! Now sit down and tell me everything." </p><p>Gilbert placed Delphine gently in the crib and then took a seat at the kitchen table. He didn't know where to begin with Anne. There were too many things to say...too many words to describe her...</p><p>"My, my...she must've had more effect on you than I assumed. I've never seen you this quiet." Bash mused with a sly smirk. Gilbert groaned and glared back at him. "But seriously, just say what comes to your mind and I'll listen."</p><p>"It's just...I've never met anyone like her before. And...and I don't know how I feel, or how I'm supposed to feel. And then there's this other boy, Charlie, who thinks he can just walk in after barely showing his feelings days ago and sweep her off of her feet. But, she's too smart for that, of course, Anne-"</p><p>"Gilbert, do you like Anne?" Bash asked as soon as he heard the name. </p><p>"I...I don't know. And even if I did..."</p><p>"You don't think you're better than this Charlie boy. I know for a fact that you are. So what's stopping you, Blythe? Why don't you tell her how you feel?" </p><p>"I never said I felt anything like that-"</p><p>"We both know that's a lie." Bash said with a chuckle as he began to prepare supper. "You know, while we're on the subject of Anne, I might as well tell you. You, Mary, Delphine and I are having dinner with the Cuthberts tomorrow evening. I expect you'll be on your best behavior, and maybe if you're feeling adventurous you'll ask Anne to forgive you for acting like a jealous and lovesick ninny." By the end of his statement, Bash was laughing to himself.  Gilbert held his head in his hands as he groaned in frustration. After a few moments of silence, the curly haired boy got up and stomped off to his room. </p><p>"Teenagers," Bash lamented.</p><p>-----------</p><p>"We're doing what?!" Anne exclaimed, nearly dropping the pitcher of water in the process. </p><p><em>Honestly, I don't understand why Marilla always tells me such life changing things while I'm handling fragile items,</em> Anne reasoned. </p><p>She received a stern look from Marilla, while Matthew only raised his eyebrows at the drama unfolding before him. He simply held his newspaper in front of his face and continued reading.</p><p>"If you have an issue with that, Anne Shirley Cuthbert, then I would <em>love</em> to hear it." Marilla dared, her voice dripping with furious sarcasm as she laid out the stew for supper. She threw Anne another warning look, one which assured Anne that she most definitely did not want to hear her petty reasons for turning away their dinner guests the following evening.</p><p>"Of course not, Marilla...I just..." She paused and sat down before thoughtfully continuing, "Will Gilbert be coming for dinner as well?"</p><p>Matthew set aside his paper at the hearing of this comment. Marilla seemed startled as well.</p><p>"He is, seeing as he is veritably Bash's family. I thought that you were friends in school with Gilbert Blythe, Anne, so whatever is the problem?" Marilla demanded in the nicest tone she could muster. </p><p>"Well, see, we've had some...<em>complications</em>...recently that I wouldn't care to mention." Anne replied as she stirred the stew relentlessly with her spoon. </p><p>"Well I should hope that you care to mention them so long as you live under my roof, Anne Shirley," Marilla said. "And what sort of complications? Did you two get in another disagreement? Because that can certainly be fixed. In fact, I will send you over to their house tomorrow morning to make amends."</p><p>Matthew began choking on a piece of chicken in the stew. </p><p>"To make it even easier for you Anne," Marilla continued, "I'll even bake a pie for you to bring over as well. It'll be like a piece offering. Now, if I hear one more word about it you'll be sent straight to bed." She set down her spoon in the bowl with an air of finality. </p><p>Anne knew there was nothing she could do or say that wouldn't make the situation worse, so she kept her mouth shut and mentally prepared herself for what she knew would be an interesting encounter. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>wayyy shorter chapter than last time but I felt like this was a good place to end the chapter...hehe</p><p>bye for now!<br/>-hermioneobliviates</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Bane of His Existence</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Anne delivers a pie to the Blythe residence, much to her dismay. Diana delivers news that may affect the fate of their beloved friendship.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The fateful day had arrived, and Anne Shirley Cuthbert had found a newfound respect for the concept of time. It didn't matter how it was kept track of; she mused, it passed of its own accord. Anne had laid awake the entire night, begging time to move by slower. Simply slower enough for her to figure out a way to get herself out of this mess. Time, however, did not comply. It ticked by unfeelingly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The poor red-headed girl dragged herself out of bed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span><em>There is no point in trying to look presentable for a boy as conceited and conniving as Gilbert Blythe</em>, Anne reassured herself. Attempting to follow this newfound mantra, she put on her simplest dress. No puff sleeves. No frills. A simple beige linen dress. Anne felt that she looked dreadfully plain and boring in this dress, but if that was what it took to make Gilbert leave her alone, then so be it. She decided against putting her hair into braids, as she figured that that made her look as if she had put in effort to her appearance as well. Instead, she left it down, the loose curls cascading down her back, though they were still messy from a sleepless night. Anne wrinkled her nose. </span>
</p><p>
  <span><em>I look positively awful. Good.</em> Anne thought and nodded her head to affirm her decision. With a final glance in the mirror, she headed out of her room and bounded down the steps two at a time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Anne Shirley Cuthbert, where are you going looking like that?" Marilla inquired before Anne could slip out the front door with the pie. "I know you're not going over to Bash and Gilbert's home looking like that. At least fix your hair, child!" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne carelessly smoothed her hair down with her hands before heading back to the door once again. She hoped that if she arrived at their home early enough they'd all still be asleep. It was only five in the morning, after all. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Goodbye Marilla!" Anne said hurriedly as she went to shut the door behind her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Anne, if you have any sense-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was the last thing she heard before she was running down the dirt path.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>----------</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You will only deliver the pie and remind them of our plans for supper, nothing more. Be monotonous and firm," Anne pleaded with herself. This seemed to be a hard task for the energetic girl to follow. She knocked on the wooden door once, barely loud enough to be heard above the chirping of the birds. Anne smiled to herself as she figured her original plan had worked; they probably weren't even awake at all! She would simply leave the pie on the steps and make sure the cloth was secured over it, and then she could leave. As she went to do so, her cheery mood was interrupted by the opening of the door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I said it's alright. I've got it Mary, just make sure Delphine goes back to sleep," Gilbert called over his shoulder. He looked startled once he saw Anne at the door, but he quickly regained his composure. "Oh, Anne. Hi." Gilbert still couldn't help but think about how beautiful she looked standing there, with not a care in the world. Her long red hair fell down her back in curls. Even though her dress was plain, it just drew more attention to her outstanding features. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne cleared her throat, unsure of why she felt so nervous all of a sudden. There was nothing meaningful about this encounter whatsoever. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hello, Gilbert. I trust that you're well." Anne said more out of politeness than anything else. She knew Marilla would be upset if she wasn't at least polite, but Anne wouldn't have been rude anyway. Not now at least.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes, I'm doing...fine. And you?" He responded with a brief nod. Anne only nodded in return. She couldn't bring herself to speak. Her feet were firmly rooted on the floor. "Alright then...did you wish to speak to Bash or Mary?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne mustered up whatever courage she had left and spoke, "Well, I suppose I could just tell you. Marilla just wanted me to drop off this cherry pie for you and your family. She also informed me that you all will be coming over for supper tonight." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes, I see. Won't you come in for a moment?" Gilbert tentatively asked. "For the pie, of course," he finished and gestured to the large pie in Anne's hands. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Here, let me take that for you." Anne couldn't bring herself to pull away. Gilbert's hands lingered on where they were touching Anne's.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And for a moment, just for a moment, there was nothing else in the world as they gazed into each other's eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I...I really shouldn't come in, I've...I've got plenty of chores at home that I really must tend to right away..."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Anne, it's five thirty in the morning," Gilbert reasoned as he arched an eyebrow. He let out a small laugh. Anne's eyes widened as she realized how stupid her excuse sounded. He would certainly know that she was avoiding him now, if he hadn't already figured it out. His face softened as he seemed to realize Anne's inner turmoil. "May I talk to you for a moment, Anne? Alone?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Is that not what we've been doing?" Anne asked innocently as the tapping of her foot against the porch echoed. Gilbert rolled his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Anne, you are the most stubborn person I have ever met. But, I'm serious, may we talk?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I truly must be going," Anne replied, attempting to remain aloof. "We can talk at supper, of course." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You will be the death of me, Anne Shirley." Gilbert rolled his eyes before he shut the door, abruptly ending their conversation. It was at times like these that he truly felt as though she were the bane of his existence. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>--------</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne ran all the way to her best friend's house. She hadn't seen Diana since school on Friday, and she was beginning to get a bit worried. They never spent more than a day apart. Now seemed like as good a time as any to relay the events of this morning and see her best friend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Out of breath, she pounded on the Barrys' door, forgetting her manners in her distress. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't worry, mother, it's just Anne!" Minnie May did little to contain her disappointment as she let the redhead inside and shut the door behind her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Didn't this girl have anywhere else to be? Why was she answering the door? Anne thought. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As if sensing her thoughts, Minnie May stuck her tongue out in Anne's direction before skipping along to resume playing with her dolls. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Wait! Minnie May...ugh!" Anne groaned and stomped her foot in frustration as she began to search for Diana. She found her best friend curled up in a tiny ball on her spacious bed, clearly worried. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Diana, what on earth are you doing?" Anne sighed with exasperation and lowered herself onto the cozy bed. It almost made her want to doze off then and there. She had forgotten how much sleep she had lost in her attempt to avoid Gilbert Blythe. These thoughts instantly fled her mind as she heard the quiet sobbing of Diana beside her. "Oh no, Diana, what is it?! What has happened?!" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Anne..." Diana was barely able to control her sobs. After a few minutes of inconsolable crying, she continued, "Anne...I don't know what I'm...I'm going to...to do!! Mother...and father...they're...they're sending me away. To...to...to Paris! I am...am to be finished, and mother says I must become a...a proper lady!" She began to sob hysterically once more. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, Diana, I am terribly sorry! We won't let them do this, they can't take you away from me!" Anne cried as she soothingly rubbed her friend's back. "We will figure out some sort of way...some sort of plan. We must!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"There's no way, Anne. They've already made the arrangements. I...I leave in exactly 145 days." Her voice became calm and quiet as Anne enveloped her in a hug. Anne felt the tears stream down her face at the thought of losing her best friend. Her soulmate. Her kindred spirit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Is there...is there nothing Aunt Josephine can do? We must try...they can't do this to you! We were to take the Queens entrance exams together. And oh, Diana, you know we would have the most marvelous time at college! This isn't fair...I won't let them take you away...I won't!" Anne decided it would be best to remain silent for a bit. The pair sat there for more than an hour, sobbing into each other's arms. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was with great sorrow that Anne realized she had to get home to help Marilla prepare dinner. She slowly lifted herself off of the bed and continued to comfort her best friend. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I have to get home...I'll see you tomorrow at school, Diana. We will get through this; we will make the most of our time together." Anne decided firmly. She sniffled and wiped away a few of the tears running down her cheek. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Diana merely nodded in agreement. She walked Anne out, making sure to use a route which avoided Anne seeing the Barry family-she knew that Anne would probably do something foolish if that were to happen. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>okayyy how are we feeling everyone? good? this is only the beginning; be prepared for some angst coming up soon :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Promise?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Despite recent events, Gilbert and his family join the Cuthberts for dinner at Green Gables.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Usually, Marilla was quite used to her daughter coming home and displaying a variety of emotions. It had almost become a guessing game for her, squandering around as she attempted to determine whatever her daughter's most recent ailment was. This time, it seemed obvious that this was much more serious. She firmly believed it would be best to run and hide as soon as she saw the redheaded tornado approaching Green Gables. Anne slammed the gate furiously, forgoing her usually cautiousness and caring nature regarding her lovely home. Marilla made a mental note to scold Anne for that, but as the girl grew closer it became obvious that there were much more pressing matters at hand. Tears streamed down her face as her worn shoes smacked against the gravel pathway. </p><p>"Oh, heavens," Marilla said, letting out a deep sigh. She began to clear a space in the kitchen for Anne to sit, where she would most likely rant about her brief trip to the Blythe residence. She heard Anne before she caught sight of her; the girl made quite a big gesture of stomping about as she made a point of flinging her coat onto the wooden bench in the mud room instead of placing it on the coat rack just mere inches above it. So, Marilla was rather surprised when Anne came into the kitchen and remained silent, abandoning her previous passion for whatever had caused her outburst. The only indication of what had happened was the way Anne continued to touch her friendship necklace. Marilla pulled out a chair and patiently waited for Anne to take a seat. "Anne, what is it?"</p><p>Anne refused to talk for several minutes, instead seeming content with sitting in the chair with her arms folded across her chest. Marilla eventually began to tap her foot impatiently and rose from her seat next to Anne. She clearly needed a lesson on the importance of directness and clarity in conversation. Marilla wasn't a mind reader, for goodness sake.</p><p>Before she could reprimand Anne, she spoke, "I'm sorry, it's Diana."</p><p>This frustrated Marilla even more. Matthew walked in at this moment; his delayed response to his daughter's sorrow was still appreciated as it brought a sad smile to Anne's face. He nodded his head slightly, before taking a seat at the table beside her and placing his hand on her shoulder to offer some comfort.</p><p>"Continue, child," Marilla urged, throwing her brother a knowing look. </p><p>"Right, yes. She's...she's going to finishing school. Finishing school in Paris. She won't be attending Queens with the rest of us." Anne finally finished the dreaded statement. It was the first time she admitted it out loud, and hearing it said seemed to bring it one step closer to fruition. One step closer to the acceptance of this fate. </p><p>Marilla didn't know what to say. She remained quiet and lightly stroked her daughter's long braids. There was nothing she could do. She knew that, of course, but she couldn't stand to see the poor child like this anymore. Matthew was clearly disgruntled, but he knew that he was ultimately powerless against the Barrys' decision as well. </p><p>"Oh, Anne...I'll...I'll see what I can do. Maybe I could talk to Mrs. Barry, or..."</p><p>These small hopes were all meaningless in the grand scheme of things, and Marilla knew it.</p><p>She was interrupted by another fit of Anne's silent sobs.</p><p>Matthew was about to excuse Anne for the rest of the night; she obviously needed some time to herself. Marilla silently agreed with this idea, but she also knew she couldn't very well send Anne to explain the situation to Gilbert and the Lacroix family and ask them to reschedule.</p><p>"Alright, well...I promise you, Anne, we will figure this out. But first we must get through this dinner. I'm afraid it's too late for me to send you over to the Blythe's to cancel."</p><p>She expected Anne to put up a fight, but instead she only nodded her head. Anne felt utterly numb, her only recognizable emotion being her desire to make the most of her remaining time with her best friend. </p><p>"I'll go get dressed, Marilla." the redheaded girl whispered as she rose from the chair. She climbed the steps quietly, and it was clear that she would be lacking her usual tenacity for quite some time. As she left, Marilla and Matthew felt nearly as devastated as her. </p><p>On her dreaded walk up the staircase, Anne decided that she would do nothing out of the ordinary to change her appearance. Not for herself, and especially not for Gilbert. Anne eventually decided on a middle ground; an option which would showcase her lack of effort while still keeping her safe from any reprimanding from Marilla. The previously referred to option was a plain cloth dress; she justified this by assuming that Marilla would simply be happy to know that it was clean. To add some variety to her otherwise plain demeanor, decided to leave her hair down. There was no need for stubborn braids anyway. They required far too much effort for an occasion such as this. Anne found her appearance to be sufficient, so she flopped on her bed and waited to be called downstairs for dinner. Typically, Anne would help prepare, but she found that she was exerting far too much energy in simply holding in her tears until she could be alone once more.</p><p>-------</p><p>"Anne Shirley Cuthbert, come down here please! They're here!" Marilla's shrill cry came far too early for Anne's liking. She slid out of bed and marched robotically down the stairs as slowly as possible. Bash was shaking Matthew's hand, Marilla was happily greeting Mary (who was holding a very disgruntled Delphine), and Gilbert was taking off his hat while greeting them with a warm smile. Elijah seemed perplexed as to what to do in this situation, until his mother ushered him in the door and gave him a stare that seemed to say "mind your manners." Anne's attention returned to Gilbert, and she noticed that as he hung up his coat he made a point of stopping to stare at her.</p><p><em>What is it now? Do I really look that awful? </em>Anne thought, clearly annoyed for letting anything diverge her thoughts from her best friend's current situation.</p><p>She broke his gaze and reached the end of the steps by hopping down the last two. This received her a warning look from Marilla, but she paid her no mind. She knew that any promises of punishment Marilla made tonight would be empty; Marilla knew that Anne was barely able to maintain formalities around their present company. She flashed a quick smile at their arriving guests and busied herself with helping Marilla set the table. </p><p>"Hello, Anne," Gilbert said. Anne resisted her overwhelming urge to scowl at him<em>--</em>what on Earth was he so happy about? He didn't seem at all discouraged by her lack of reply as she busied herself with the cutlery. "I trust you've been doing well."</p><p>That bit almost made Anne laugh out loud, but her better judgement told her that would be terribly rude, so she settled for the next most socially acceptable thing.</p><p>"Why yes, Gilbert, I've been absolutely <em>splendid</em>," Anne replied as sarcastically as humanly possible. She couldn't even take her own sarcasm seriously as she felt herself unknowingly smile. "I trust that you are simply <em>marvelous </em>as well?" Anne was walking a fine line between Marilla's sympathy and her wrath, and she knew it. The harsh glare Marilla gave her forced her to stop in her tracks and compose herself. Gilbert only realized Anne's obvious sarcasm a few seconds later, and then frowned. </p><p>"Why don't you take a seat then, Anne?"</p><p>This was clearly a demand and not a suggestion from Matthew. The redheaded girl realized that any attempts to argue with her parents would be futile. She flopped down in the only available seat, which of course happened to be across from her rival classmate. She felt his gaze on her and chose to ignore it for the moment. Fortunately, polite chatter between Marilla and Mary broke the silence. </p><p>Anne realized that this was her opportunity to be mature and show Gilbert that she was truly better than him. After all, it wasn't as if it was his fault that her best friend was going away. Just a few brief words to smooth things over and she'd be on her way to a night of painless chit-chat and, eventually, sobbing in her bedroom. </p><p>"I'm...I'm sorry about my...<em>outburst</em> earlier," Anne muttered quietly. "I'm afraid my temper has gotten the better of me; it appears to be worse than usual."</p><p>Gilbert chuckled wryly at her comment, but he was quite relieved that she had spoken at all. He most likely couldn't have stayed upset with her regardless of her apology. </p><p>After thoughtfully chewing on a morsel of chicken pot pie, he replied, "Truthfully, I wouldn't expect anything less from you. It must be that red hair, eh, Carrots?" </p><p>A delighted smirk formed on his face as he watched her roll her eyes at his unwelcome teasing behavior. Before she could interject with a snide remark of his own, he continued, "However, I must admit, your sarcasm is not appreciated. I was simply trying to enjoy this lovely dinner without being accosted." He burst into a fit of laughter, and Anne couldn't help but crack a smile as well. Gilbert took this as a sign of tolerance, and attempted to continue the conversation further. "Would you like to take a walk?"</p><p>Anne fought herself internally, debating her options for a considerate response.</p><p>
  <em>Absolutely not, I have much better things to do then to dawdle about with you.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I suppose so.</em>
</p><p>Yes, the second option seemed far more polite. It would also save her from a lecture on her manners later. </p><p>"I suppose so, Gilbert Blythe." she watched a satisfied smile spread across his inviting lips. "Matthew, may we be excused?" </p><p>He raised his eyebrows at the pair, but nodded. Marilla looked ready to interject, but clearly decided against it. Bash gave Gilbert a knowing smile, already conjuring up new ideas on how to make fun of his friend later. Sometimes his feelings were <em>painfully </em>obvious, but it was clear that Anne wouldn't acknowledge that even if it smacked her in the face (much like Anne had cracked her slate over Gilbert's head, he duly noted). </p><p>--------</p><p>The night was calm. It was colder than usual for nighttime in Avonlea. Anne involuntarily shivered as she stepped down from the porch. Gilbert snagged his jacket from the coat rack on his way out the door, and he squarely placed it on Anne's shoulders. She shot him a mean look, but she was too cold to shrug it off as she normally would. Besides, this was no ordinary night, so Gilbert decided to push her compliance further.</p><p>"A simple 'thank you' would suffice," he teased, struggling to keep up with Anne's hurried strides. </p><p>"Thank you so much Gilbert Blythe, I'm not sure how I'll ever repay you," she replied dramatically with a scowl. </p><p>"Again with the sarcasm, you should really work on that," he snidely remarked. This earned him another eye roll. Truthfully, he didn't really care if Anne's intentions were positive or negative; this was the most attention he'd gotten from her in weeks and he was certainly going to take advantage of it.</p><p>"Hm, I save it just for you, then." Anne commented as she began to run down the long pathway, laughing as she looked behind her to see her classmate looking shocked. She huffed, but slowed down and waited for a moment. Although she hated to admit it, his company was far better than having no one at all.</p><p>
  <em>And there you go again, being a constant bore. It's a wonder you have any friends at all.</em>
</p><p>"Anne Shirley-Cuthbert, you are one strange individual. I believe your mood has changed at least seven times tonight." he joked, but Anne's reaction to this observation was much more solemn than he had anticipated it would be. "Are you alright?"</p><p>
  <em>There is no way that Gilbert Blythe will see you cry. Don't give him the satisfaction. Ugh, really? No...don't cry. Oh, seriously, you're a lost cause.</em>
</p><p>Anne faltered before she could begin to come up with a halfhearted reply. The most reasonable thing to do at the moment seemed to be to sit and contemplate her fate. She laid herself down on the hard ground and provided no further explanation to her confused companion.</p><p>"Anne? I'm sorry, was it something I said? I truly didn't mean to cause any harm, if there's something you want to talk about-"</p><p>She was quite a sight, laying there among the twigs and dirt. In the night, her flaming red hair and pale skin were the only things distinguishing her from the earth. The raven haired boy crouched down beside her, reaching out to feel her forehead.</p><p>"I'm quite fine, Gilbert, simply perplexed is all."</p><p>"Are you <em>sure </em>you're feeling alright?"</p><p>"Am I not allowed to enjoy nature?" she shot back, swatting his hand away after it lingered for a moment too long. </p><p>"I'm being serious, Anne."</p><p>"So am I."</p><p>"Should I get Marilla?"</p><p>"Don't you dare, Blythe."</p><p>"Tell me what's upsetting you."</p><p>"And why would I disclose that information with a classmate whose sole purpose is to destroy me?"</p><p>"Is that what you really think of me, Anne?"</p><p>"It depends."</p><p>"On what?"</p><p>"Do you promise you won't make fun of me if I tell you what happened today?"</p><p>"Why...why would I ever make fun of you?" This very claim made him want to shrivel up and crawl into a hole. How could she have misinterpreted what he thought to be his blatant admiration and feelings for her? "Of course, Anne, you have my word."</p><p>She rolled onto her side so that she could see his face. Anne truly wondered what Ruby saw in him. Was it his piercing eyes? His sly smile? The way his curly hair was never really combed properly? She shook away these thoughts as fast as they came. There was no need for her to cause unnecessary drama just as she was finally becoming accepted in Avonlea. Besides, she was getting ahead of herself. She would soon find out if he was trustworthy enough to know her true qualms.</p><p>"Promise?" she held out her pinkie. She immediately felt foolish in doing so, but if Gilbert found this gesture to be childish, he didn't show it.</p><p>"Promise."</p><p>He locked his finger with hers. There seemed to be nothing else in the world but them. They both felt something, though neither one would admit it. It was a foreign feeling, but it felt right somehow. It was the beginning of something different, maybe something rare. It was nothing like any romance novel that Anne had ever read. But it was <em>Gilbert</em>. Gilbert Blythe. She carefully removed her finger from his grasp. Despite her hesitation, it no longer seemed so difficult to tell him.</p><p>"Diana is going away soon. To...to finishing school. She leaves in one hundred forty-five days."</p><p>Gilbert leaned in closer to hear her faint whisper. Small tears escaped her eyes, but she forced herself to wipe them away. Now was not the time to show weakness. Not in front of her worst enemy.</p><p>He looked as though he might cry too at the sight of her. And then, her classmate, her worst enemy, came closer and hugged her. Anne let the tears fall, and they spilled onto his jacket, which still laid daintily on her slender shoulders. She pulled him closer in spite of herself. She didn't want him to let go. </p><p>"Anne, I..." he paused and looked at her. He was full of pity and remorse, and...something else that seemed unidentifiable. "I know it hurts. But...it'll get better, I promise."</p><p>"Your promise is useless. My best friend in this entire lonely world will leave me forever. She'll forget all about me the second she arrives-and how couldn't she? I'm sure that Paris will be full of marvelously beautiful girls with twice more grace, elegance and composition than I could ever hope to acquire. I'll be a forgotten memory; the impossibly plain girl from Avonlea. We'll be thousands of miles apart," Anne murmured. For a moment, she realized that Gilbert truly did understand what she was going through and far worse; it hadn't been that long since his own father had died. She groaned as she lightly nudged Gilbert to stand up. She brushed off bits of dirt from her dress and hair. Then, it was like the past ten minutes had never happened. "Anyways, sorry about that...<em>outburst</em>. I would prefer that you didn't share that with anyone...if you have any decency. We should probably head back now."</p><p>That would not be the last time that Gilbert saw the strongest person he knew cry. Truthfully, he would be the cause of it for many times to come. </p><p>Empty silence filled the night air on the walk home. There was so much unspoken between them. Anne still harbored a great dislike for him, of course, but she couldn't help but feel a bit of remorse for how rude she'd been. Poor Gilbert couldn't string together two words to convey his empathy towards her situation. Both of them felt a strong inclination to say something, <em>anything</em>. But these instincts remained only that, nothing more. It was quite ironic actually-the two smartest students Avonlea (and possibly in all of Prince Edward Island, depending on who you asked) were barely able to hold a conversation.</p><p>The familiar landscape of Green Gables came into view soon after their awkward exchange, encouraging Anne to pick up her pace at the sight of her safe haven. </p><p><em>You've made an absolute fool of yourself, </em>Anne thought. <em>You'll be lucky if he doesn't go and tell the entire class how foolish you are.</em></p><p>"Listen, Anne," Gilbert said as he lightly held onto her arm. "You know I would never do anything to hurt you, right? I know that you hate me and all, but, I really don't see any reason why we can't at least be friends?" He stared at her hesitantly, attempting to analyze the subtle changes in her expression.</p><p>Anne had no strength left in her to argue with him. Besides, what would be the harm in him thinking that they were friends? She would be cordial, but nothing more. That would probably make him more likely to keep the events of the day a secret, anyway. It's not like she had to have anything to do with him outside of class. What would it hurt? It was just a silly label. Friends. The term had no meaning to it whatsoever.</p><p>She replied, "I suppose that would be most advantageous for our given situation. But don't think for a second that I've forgotten the names you called me." </p><p>"Names? I hate to correct you, Anne, but I believe it was one name-<em>carrots</em>," Gilbert continued their conversation as they headed back into the Cuthbert house. "<em>And </em>I apologized profusely <em>and</em> I've been extremely nice to you ever since. Besides, I thought you would've realized that I only did that to get your attention." he smirked as he watched his classmate's eyes widen at this realization. "I'm also pretty sure that you whacked me over the head with a slate, so I think we're even for now."</p><p>She narrowed her eyes and retorted, "You should know by now that I'm not quick to let go of grudges, Blythe. I appreciate the effort, though." the redhead flashed him a genuine smile as she pushed open the front door, opening their conversation to their friends and family. It was clearly no place for Gilbert to continue their conversation, so he just rolled his eyes at her and shook his head. </p><p><em>Cheap move, Anne, </em>he thought. </p><p>"Ah, did you two enjoy your walk?" Bash wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and grinned. This went unnoticed by Anne, who was hanging up Gilbert's coat gingerly as he spoke. Her companion, however, began to brush profusely. </p><p>"It was very refreshing, thank you," Anne interjected before Gilbert could respond. She took her seat at the table with a brisk smile. She signaled for the adults to continue their conversation, and the raven haired boy gave her a knowing look from across the table. </p><p>Polite chatter ensued and it remained calm and pleasant until their guests prepared for their departure. </p><p>"Truly, Marilla, you outdo yourself more and more every time we come over," Mary gushed. "I might have to steal that plum puff recipe from you!"</p><p>"Oh, Mary, for a good friend I'll make an exception," Marilla's smile was genuine as she replied, placing her hand lightly on the woman's shoulder as they headed for the front door. Matthew shook both Elijah and Bash's hands, and Delphine wiggled animatedly in her father's arms. Gilbert waited awkwardly to the side, seeming to dare Anne to approach him. </p><p>"That was quite interesting," he remarked, clearly not knowing what to say. "Thank you for inviting us to your lovely home; we'll have to return the favor sometime soon," </p><p>His promise seemed earnest, and for some reason that made Anne's heart flutter. She flashed him a grateful smile, and, before she could change her mind, she leaned in to hug him briefly. He seemed a bit shocked by this, but welcomed her with open arms. Before it could get even more awkward than it already was, she pulled away and nodded in his general direction.</p><p>"Goodbye, dear friends!" Anne called gleefully as they headed out the door. They waved in return and continued down the path back to their home. As Anne began to close the door, she could've sworn Gilbert was staring back at her from a distance. She shook her head, assured herself that she was imagining things, and continued on with her chores before bed.</p><p>------------</p><p>"Goodnight, Gilbert Blythe," Anne whispered to no one in particular. She laid in her bed and stared at the dark ceiling, unsure of where her thoughts of him had come from. </p><p>Anne went to bed that night with her head full of thoughts, and, strangely, every single one of them was about Gilbert.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>YESSSS finally some development...we love to see it. also was i too obvious with the foreshadowing lol lmk</p><p>- hermioneobliviates</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. On the Subject of Friendship</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The students play an interesting game of Truth or Dare.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Friendship was a particularly touchy subject for Anne. Truthfully, it was all she had ever wanted; it had always seemed just out of reach. She never liked to relive her past, which was void of all things which she cherished the most now. Her family, her friends, her happiness. This was all more than enough to keep her perfectly satisfied. That was why it was becoming increasingly difficult for Anne to understand why her friends were infatuated with boys. </p><p>It had been one week since Anne's dinner with the Blythe's, and so far nothing earth-shattering had occurred. Gilbert and Anne remained cordial with one another, which obviously led to several questions and more than a few teasing remarks from Diana. Upon learning the newest details, Diana began to nudge Anne and grin wildly whenever Gilbert looked in their general direction. What was even more concerning for Anne was that she honestly didn't mind being polite with him. He genuinely seemed to be invested in being her friend. Anne, however, still held fast with her idea of their friendship being more of a label. Minor differences.</p><p>She was drawn from her thoughts by a loud <em>thud </em>beside her as Diana slammed her books on the table rather boisterously. Anne flinched slightly at the sound, relaxing when she saw that it was only her best friend who caused the disturbance. She leaned over and held Diana's hand, conveying her sympathy and condolences silently. </p><p>"Sorry," Diana apologized with a soft smile as she gently removed Anne's hand from her own. "Mother and father have just been doing a lot of yelling recently and school seems to be the only place I can escape it. They're upset with me too...I wrote to Aunt Josephine and begged her to force them to let me stay here so I can attend Queens. I didn't think that Aunt Josephine would actually come <em>all </em>the way down from Charlottetown-"</p><p>Diana murmured the last part mostly to herself, but Anne was close enough to hear it. </p><p>"Aunt Jo is here?!" she exclaimed, but a moment later she wished to retract her outburst as she realized how selfish she sounded. "I'm sorry Diana, I didn't mean it like that. I'm truly sorry you are having trouble at home...is there anything I can do to help?"</p><p>"Um...we can talk later," Diana replied, her gaze flickering to their friend Cole on the other side of the room. Anne took this as a sign that her best friend no longer wanted to discuss the matter, so she focused her attention on Cole and his latest drawing as well. </p><p>"Cole, that drawing is simply exquisite!" Anne exclaimed as she noticed her friend's work. She nudged Diana gingerly, silently begging her to take her mind off of her troubles for even a few moments. He'd clearly been working on it for a long time; it featured her, Diana, Ruby and himself. Josie Pye was complaining about how she wasn't in it, but after Josie's pining and her calling him a freak, there was no sort of substantial friendship between them. Cole ignored her and reassured Tillie and Jane that he was working on adding them to the portrait as well.</p><p>"<em>Anne</em>," Diana hissed and made a small motion to where Gilbert was walking towards them. Anne's hands immediately flew to the braids on either side of her head to ensure that they weren't unruly, and after a few moments of mindlessly taming her hair she smoothed down the front of her dress and placed her hands neatly in her lap. She had no time to register the fact that she had just made an attempt to tidy her appearance at the mere acknowledgment of Gilbert Blythe's presence. </p><p>Gilbert greeted the group, "Good morning, everyone," He was always the only boy besides Cole who willingly or at least confidently interacted with the girls. Ruby began to giggle nervously; Anne wanted to roll her eyes knowing that this brief exchange would be subject to Ruby's fixation for weeks to come. He examined their individual expressions, stopping especially long on Anne and Diana. Anne's best friend was often the key to her own emotions; she did tell Diana everything, after all. Right now, Diana seemed quite smug, as though she were waiting for something to happen. Anne, on the other hand, looked like she was about to put another slate through his head. With another quick nudge from Diana, she joined the group in giving him a brief welcome.</p><p>"Gilbert, you must see this drawing that Cole is working on!" Ruby gushed. She dragged him closer to where Cole was sitting so that he could see it. Gilbert nodded in amusement and patted Cole on the back.</p><p>"Good morning, students!" Miss Stacy chimed in. The students clamored towards their desks until it became silent. A warm smile filled her face. "I hope you all are ready for a full day of learning; the Queens entrance exams grow closer every day!"</p><p>Anne gave her best friend a sad smile upon hearing this. Diana looked away quickly, as though she could ignore the thought completely. Anne forced herself to pay no attention to this as her thoughts drifted to the events of the past few days. Suddenly, Gilbert Blythe was not her most vicious enemy. Time seemed to be the only thing working against her. It felt strange to know that if it came down to it, he would be on her side. He always seemed to be on her side.</p><p>"Anne?" Miss Stacy said, causing the entire class to giggle quietly. "Did you hear me? I was wondering if you decided on a topic for our journal entry today."</p><p>Her eyes widened in realization. Of course, the one time she had an opportunity to write about what she wanted (within means) without jurisdiction, she hadn't thought of a single thing. Nevertheless, an idea began to form in her mind.</p><p>"We should write about friendship," Anne calmly suggested. Almost unknowingly, she glanced at Gilbert as she said this. Whether this was her way of saying that they were just friends or her way of being nice, Gilbert couldn't tell. </p><p>"That's an excellent idea, dear. How about everyone writes about what friendship means to them? We can share at the end of the day."</p><p>It seemed that what Anne had thought would be an easy subject was turning out to be rather difficult. She no longer had one clean-cut definition of friendship, or for any relationship for that matter. It was complicated. Some of her relationships were pure and simple, like with Matthew or Diana. Others seemed to elude her and then return at the most inconvenient time, like Gilbert. </p><p>"Anne...Anne?" Diana nudged her best friend with great force. Anne lifted her head and then jokingly scowled at her in return. "It's time for lunch," The pair linked arms and joined the group of girls which had formed in the corner of the schoolhouse. </p><p>"What are you all writing about?" Tillie implored as she took a bite out of her piece of bread. </p><p>"Friendship, <em>duh</em>." Ruby retorted halfheartedly. Josie followed her gaze and caught Ruby staring at the boys eating outside. She wiggled her eyebrows and playfully grinned at her friend. </p><p>"Gilbert is looking rather <em>dashing</em> today; isn't he, Ruby?" Josie chided. </p><p>Ruby began to blush profusely, making Anne quite uncomfortable. She would later discover that it seemed that Gilbert wasn't the boy on Ruby's mind anymore, nor was he the reason for her nervousness. </p><p>"I really do like your subject choice for this week, Anne." Diana changed the subject as she threw a harsh glare in Josie's direction. "I think it will be interesting to find out how different friendships are perceived by different people." </p><p>"It's so <em>boring</em>," Josie complained. "Obviously it's rather easy to write about for me, seeing as I have so many friends. But, well, for someone like <em>Anne</em>, I can imagine that may be rather difficult. " She smirked, daring anyone to challenge her statement. Before anyone could refute her problematic statement, she continued "I know, how about we play a game? We'll play truth or dare. That would be much more interesting than anything the silly take notice board could accomplish."</p><p>"Time to resume learning, children," Miss Stacey called. She went outside to call the boys inside as well. </p><p>"That's alright," Josie teased. "We'll resume after class. I'll get the boys to join as well. Unless you're too <em>scared</em>." </p><p>Anne narrowed her eyes, certain that this challenge was meant specifically for her. She knew better; Marilla was expecting her to begin her chores as soon as she got home. However, her chores could wait. A chance to prove Josie Pye wrong and watch her squirm was fairly rare, and Marilla would just have to understand that she could not waste it. </p><p>"That sounds like marvelous fun, Josie. Of course,"</p><p>"But, Anne-" Diana attempted to reason with her best friend. Aside from consequences at home, Diana worriedly remembered what had happened the last time they'd played a game of the sort. Spin the Bottle was not much different from Truth or Dare, and therefore, she reasoned, it was probable that they would have similar outcomes. </p><p>"That sounds like a perfectly wonderful idea," Anne decided with an air of finality, unable to meet her best friend's gaze as she knew Diana didn't approve. Anne knew better than to mess with the likes of Josie Pye, but she couldn't stand her smug expression any longer.</p><p>"Perfect." Josie said with a sly grin. She tossed her long blonde locks over her shoulder as she spun on her heel and walked away with her head held high.</p><p>-----------</p><p>"Anne, what <em>was </em>that in there? Are you out of your mind?" Diana worried, eyeing her best friend with an incredulous expression as Anne leaned against the side of the schoolhouse with her arms crossed.</p><p>"It's just a silly old game, Diana. Besides, I'm sick of letting Josie stomp all over everyone. Why can't she just be civil?" </p><p>Diana rolled her eyes and grabbed Anne's hand. "Is this really just about Josie? Are you sure it's not about...something else?"</p><p>The redhead yanked her hand away. "What do you mean <em>something else</em>?"</p><p>Diana could hardly contain a grin. "Well, from an outsider's perspective...there seems to be something going on between you and Gilbert." </p><p>"Why is it that every single conversation we've had as of late has been about <em>boys</em>?"</p><p>As much as she hated to admit it, Diana's assumption was partially correct, and Anne was reminded once again of how much of an open book she was to her best friend. Anne sighed. Only a few days ago Gilbert had been her fiercest enemy, and now she wasn't even sure if he was an enemy at all. </p><p>"Because this is <em>exciting </em>Anne; I've never seen you act this way, especially not over a <em>boy</em>. Perhaps...you feel something for Gilbert?" Diana's grin only widened as she saw her friend's reaction to her words. Anne seemed to consider this for a moment, but she was clearly infuriated. </p><p>"Where on earth would you get that idea from?! Gilbert is nothing but an annoying, self-assured prick who only cares about himself, and frankly I-"</p><p>"Wow, Anne, no need to be nice about it," </p><p>Anne whirled around and, to her horror, found Gilbert behind them looking rather amused, any sign of ill-will towards her commentary vanishing in an instant. Diana couldn't contain her laughter.</p><p>"Anyways, everyone else is already ready to play. They sent me to come get the two of you." Gilbert plastered a smile on his face and walked back to the group. At least she was honest; he'd give her that.</p><p>She opened her mouth to apologize, but he was already gone. Besides, why did she need to apologize anyway? She was right, wasn't she? Anne truly wasn't sure, she grew to doubt her dislike for him more and more each day. With a slim smile, she sauntered over to the group of classmates clustered by the stream near the schoolhouse, clutching onto Diana's hand for comfort. </p><p>"Look who finally decided to join us," Billy smirked. "Diana and her <em>charity case</em>."</p><p>An awkward silence lingered in the air as his remark registered, and the redheaded girl had every intention of smacking him upside the head regardless of the consequences. A few of the boys snickered at the unfolding scene, and a few of the girls muttered halfheartedly in Anne's defense. Both Cole and Gilbert seemed ready to speak up and say something. </p><p>"Really, Billy aren't we past this? We get it, you have a massive ego and no friends. Get over yourself." Diana retorted before Anne could snap back. Vivacious laughter could hardly be contained as it spread throughout the group. That shut Billy up for the time being, and Josie only rolled her eyes at the situation. Diana and Anne sat side by side in the leftover space of the circle. Josie immediately took control of the situation, and she began bossing people around with petty truths and dares. Anne paid no attention to this until she noticed Billy whisper something to Josie. She began to smile sinisterly. </p><p>"Alright then, Anne, if you aren't such a goody-two shoes...I dare you and Gilbert to kiss." </p><p>Anne knew she only had a few moments to weigh her options before she looked utterly ridiculous. She <em>obviously </em>couldn't do that, right? That was out of the question. But, the look on Josie's face if she did would surely leave her satiated. She'd know that Anne was a force to be reckoned with and not just a "dumb old orphan," as Josie so aptly stated. That was more than enough motivation for her. </p><p>Gilbert seemed as perplexed and worried as she did, but he did a lot worse job of hiding it. A few of the boys snickered and egged him on, daring him to kiss the<em> orphan girl</em>. He wouldn't do this for himself, as much as he might've liked to. He would do it for Anne; he knew it was her reputation at stake anyway. Maybe they'd leave her alone if this proved to everyone that she wasn't afraid. He searched her eyes for any sign of hesitation, but instead all he found was a fiery determination to prove her foe wrong. </p><p>"Gladly," Anne replied. She leaned in across the length of the circle and planted a brief but firm kiss on Gilbert's lips. It was meant to be a peck, but her lips lingered for a few seconds longer as he kissed her back. Anne was brought back to reality by the sound of embarrassed laughter coming from her classmates. Her cheeks were flushed with color as she pulled away. He looked equally as flustered, staring at her for several moments as she returned to her previous spot in the circle. Almost involuntarily, Gilbert brushed his fingers against his lips where she had touched them. Anne felt her blush deepen as she noticed this, but she quickly turned away from his burning gaze and engaged in meaningless chatter with Diana. Well, it was really just Anne talking. Diana wouldn't have responded if Anne wanted her to, she simply sat there and stared at Anne with wide eyes and her mouth agape. </p><p>Ruby, rather noticeably, began to cry, leaving Tillie and Jane to scowl at Anne as they followed their friend out of the circle to a much more suitable crying location. Ruby might not have noticed it, but Anne keenly observed that, strangely, Moody seemed rather distraught over her disappearance. </p><p>"Hm, I suppose that will suffice," Josie scoffed and turned away; it was quite clear that she was sorely disappointed by her classmates' sudden burst of spontaneity. "I hope you're satisfied with the damage you've done," </p><p>Everyone began to clamor towards the entrance to the school building at the sound of Miss Stacey's voice telling them to collect their things. Anne remained in her spot, leaving her directly across from Gilbert once more. </p><p>"So...that was just for the dare, right?" Gilbert wondered aloud, waiting for her to confirm what he hoped really wasn't true. There was something else there, and he knew she felt it too. </p><p>
  <em>Well if he's not going to say anything, I'm certainly not.</em>
</p><p>"What else would it be, Blythe? I thought you were supposed to be at the top of the class, so I'm surprised that you could be so daft," she feigned confidence and nonchalance as she jogged back into the schoolhouse, leaving him alone with his very muddled thoughts.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>the long awaited shirbert kiss :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Moving On</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Gilbert and Anne attempt to discern their feelings after their latest interaction, but they're both about as oblivious as one would expect.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Well. It was officially awkward. Their <em>friendship </em>(if you could call it that) was still so new, and kissing Gilbert hadn't exactly helped to clear things up on that matter. Anne wondered more why it was awkward in the first place; they were barely more than acquaintances on the best of days, and that wasn't changing anytime soon. Certainly one childish kiss wouldn't change anything. He was still atrociously rude and horrid, and she was perfectly content with maintaining her distance.  </p><p>However, there was a small, tiny, fragment of a part of her that acknowledged that it had been her first kiss. Gilbert Blythe was her first kiss. Strangely, she didn't feel bad about it; it's not like there was anyone else she wanted to kiss at the moment. Shouldn't it have mattered more? Shouldn't it have been more romantic? She had imagined a variety of scenarios relating to her first kiss, but she had never anticipated that it would be as mundane as a petty dare amongst friends. It somehow felt like she had been slighted, so she made up her mind that the kiss simply didn't count. When she found her true love (yes, Anne had gone back to assuming she would one day find true love - it was much less pessimistic than believing one would be an old maid), she intended to live a life full of as many romantic scenarios as she so desired.</p><p>The past few weeks had passed since the kiss, and it seemed that time had done little to lessen the awkwardness of the situation. Aside from stolen glances and hushed whispers to friends, Anne and Gilbert had not spoken at all.</p><p>So this was the predicament they faced one dreary Monday afternoon when Miss Stacy eventually got fed up by their obvious avoidance of one another. </p><p>"That's it," Miss Stacy chided abruptly during one of their class discussions. The entire class began to search for what had caused this disruption; dozens of eyes landed on Gilbert and Anne as her gaze shifted between the two of them. "Gilbert, Anne, you two are always the first to offer your opinions in these discussions, and we often have to stop the two of you to encourage participation from the rest of the class. What's going on?"</p><p>Both of the aforementioned pupils began to blush profusely, and the blazing stare of their entire class didn't help matters. </p><p>"Anne kissed Gilbert when we played Truth or Dare," Josie explained quickly. She pursed her lips and seemed satisfied in knowing that she had successfully made Anne Shirley want to die of shame. Anne whirled around to face her sworn foe, intending to give her a piece of her mind. </p><p>"Didn't your mother ever teach you to mind your own business?" Diana snapped as she turned her head to glare at Josie. Ruby and Tillie stifled their laughter as Josie's jaw slacked. </p><p>Clearing her throat, Miss Stacy sensed that this escalating situation was not one she wanted to be involved in right now. </p><p>"Settle down, settle down...Anne and Gilbert, take this outside and work it out. Come back in fifteen minutes, and I expect both of you to be in a peak debating state of mind." She gave them a brief smile and gestured towards the door before turning her attention back to the agitated class. Today would be a long day.</p><p>Anne made a point of waiting until Gilbert was almost outside before following him. Her plan seemed to fail enormously, as he stood waiting for her by the door when she arrived. He grinned at her sheepishly in an attempt to melt the tension between them. It slightly helped, and they moved to sit comfortably on the steps of the schoolhouse. </p><p>"This isn't awkward, is it?" Anne spoke, mostly to assure herself.</p><p>"No, of course not..." he replied quietly. </p><p><em>This is definitely awkward, you fool</em>, he thought. </p><p>She felt the words coming out of her mouth before she could stop them: "And besides, it's not like you actually wanted to kiss me or anything, it was just the dare." </p><p>
  <em>Oh. Great. Way to go, Anne...</em>
</p><p>Even as they sat there in this awkward silence, it was all he could do to keep himself from staring at her.</p><p>"Did you want to kiss me?" he asked timidly, already afraid he knew her answer. </p><p>"Of course not," Anne scoffed. "It was simply out of spite. I couldn't very well let Josie Pye win, could I?" </p><p>He turned away from her, as if he could will the hurt in his eyes to suddenly disappear. </p><p>She regretted her poor choice of words as soon as they left her mouth. She wanted to speak again, to assure him that she didn't mean it, but that would mean admitting that she hadn't minded kissing him. Not in the slightest.</p><p>That was obviously not an option at the moment. </p><p>"I'm sorry...I...I didn't mean it like that," she eventually said. "I'm just saying that it was a completely nonsensical decision, and I regret it."</p><p>
  <em>How is that any better than saying you didn't want to kiss him, you blithering idiot?</em>
</p><p>"No that's quite alright, Anne," he retorted without any hint of emotion. "I know exactly how you meant it. Now can you at least pretend to be civil before we both fall behind in class?"</p><p>That shut her up momentarily, and before she could think of an appropriate response, he was turning to leave. As he strode back into the classroom, she couldn't help but helplessly watch him go and wish things had been different somehow. </p><p>"Well that went swimmingly," she grumbled to herself before following him. </p><p>------</p><p>Their falsified civility continued for the bulk of the next month, until it eventually became unbearable to Anne. As much as she hated to admit it, she missed him. Well, certainly not him himself. She missed his intelligence, his mannerisms, and his wit. Nothing else. </p><p>And as this time crept by, it became more and more clear that Gilbert wanted nothing to do with her. Surely he would've made some attempt to make amends by now if that wasn't the case. That had always been what happened. When <em>she </em>hit him over the head with a slate, he had been the one to apologize for provoking her. It had taken that followed by a string of apologies throughout the last year for Anne to even look in his direction again. And now it was her turn, but she really hadn't the faintest idea why. Was it possible that he wasn't so repulsed by the thought of them kissing? Had he taken offense to her rash statements earlier? </p><p>These thoughts and explanations ran through her mind diurnally, but she found no answers. He still showed up for school, answering questions and chatting quietly with Moody and Cole and the other boys. However, he ignored her completely, leaving as soon as school ended to avoid any chance of conversation. </p><p>It was rather frustrating, really. She realized that for so long, it had been him chasing her, apologizing and begging for her attention. Now that it was reversed, she wasn't sure she had the strength to do the same, nor did she understand why Gilbert had gone to such lengths to procure her attention in the first place. </p><p>And so, as Anne Shirley Cuthbert often did, she developed a plan. The name of the plan was a work in progress, but its objective was relatively simple. One: figure out why Gilbert was being such a <em>ninny</em>; and two: formally apologize and make amends so everything could go back to normal.</p><p>Normal.</p><p>What was normal for them?</p><p>Anne mused that their "normal" was likely only bantering and screaming matches.</p><p>And she would be satisfied with that. As long as it meant that she still got to see him - <em>strictly </em>for academic purposes. She was getting rather bored in class with no one to contradict her. </p><p>So, Anne set off to accomplish the first step of her plan and figure out why Gilbert was acting like an outright fool. After making up her mind that for now the best option may be Cole, she sought him out after class. </p><p>"Cole," Anne giggled as she drew out his name to somehow make it multiple syllables. She noted his position as he sat thoughtfully on a bench by the schoolhouse working on his latest drawing. He had long ago finished his portrait of all of them, and Anne found it funny that this was the only significant measure of time that she could keep track of. She had decided a while back that she would not be bothered with keeping track of how many days were left until her bosom friend left her forever. </p><p>"Hmm?" he replied, his slight movement to the left side of the bench being the only indication that he had even acknowledged her presence as he kept his eyes on the sketchpad. </p><p>"Do you..." </p><p>
  <em>Now how can I phrase this without sounding totally crazy...</em>
</p><p>"Do you know if Gilbert has said anything lately? About me? Or...about why he's acting so weird?" </p><p>This seemed to be sufficient enough for Cole to finally put down his pencil and gaze at her with a wry smile. </p><p>"I thought you weren't interested in Gilbert Blythe," he teased, but only loud enough so that she could hear. She tapped her foot impatiently. He clearly knew something, and if he didn't he was just being plain mean.</p><p>"<em>Of course I'm not</em>," came Anne's harsh whisper, as though saying it any louder would certainly result in her dying of shame. "But you can't tell me you haven't noticed how dull things have been lately. There's <em>no one to argue with</em>."</p><p>Cole laughed and shook his head, picking up his pencil to resume drawing. "Now that would be truly despicable wouldn't it? <em>Unimaginable</em>, even. Anne Shirley Cuthbert having no one to argue with? I don't know how you'll live!" </p><p>He held a hand up to his forehead and pretended to faint, leaning over the bench and tumbling into the grass behind it. Anne couldn't help but smile, and it almost took her mind off of the conversation's original purpose.</p><p>"But I'm serious, Cole," she asserted as she helped him back up. They began to make their way to the schoolhouse to collect their things. "What did he say?"</p><p>He paused for a moment, his nonchalant demeanor immediately becoming nonexistent. </p><p>"Are you sure?"</p><p>Anne rolled her eyes and dragged him to the side of the schoolhouse's entrance, where they normally waited for Diana and Ruby. </p><p>"Yes, Cole. Seriously, what could be so <em>awful </em>that you couldn't tell me -"</p><p>"No...no Anne, it's not that. He said...he said you have a nice smile." Cole couldn't help but grin as he revealed this seemingly clandestine piece of information. </p><p>"<em>What</em>? Hold on...he <em>told </em>you that?" she shoved his shoulder back a bit roughly, begging him to continue.</p><p>"Well...not exactly. I overheard him say it to Charlie. Anne, do you think -"</p><p>"Think what?" Anne begged him not to say it, and it was clear he didn't want to.</p><p>"Do you think he likes you?"</p><p>The outburst that followed was rather characteristic of Anne. </p><p>"Likes...likes...<em>me</em>? Ugh...that's absurd! Of course not!" </p><p>She was saved from further engagement in this awkward discussion by Diana and Ruby arriving at the door. Ruby cocked an eyebrow at the sight of Anne's rage-filled state, but clearly decided against saying anything. Diana wasn't so tentative.</p><p>"What's got you so upset?" she prodded as she linked arms with Cole and Ruby, gesturing for Anne to join them. </p><p>"Oh, nothing, <em>Gilbert</em> just said she has a <em>nice smile</em>," Cole answered for her with a cheeky green. The group unknowingly turned and faced Ruby, gaging her reaction, but she seemed unphased. They decided not to press her response, and continued to bother Anne relentlessly. </p><p>"<em>Anne Shirley Cuthbert</em>! How long have you withheld this information?!" Diana shrieked almost incredulously. The road home could not have seemed longer to Anne. By the time they had reached the Story Club, she had been accosted thoroughly by each of her three friends.</p><p>"Maybe Anne can write about Gilbert being in <em>looveee </em>with her," Diana suggested, and even Ruby couldn't help but laugh.</p><p>------</p><p>Staring intently at the scattered papers in front of her, Anne's thoughts stumbled around in a haze as she tried to remember what she was supposed to be doing. Days had turned into weeks and her essays for school still laid unfinished. That wasn't usual for Anne, unfinished work strewn about, especially work for her favorite subject, but it was all she could manage. It was a miracle that she had even gotten out of bed today; everything felt so dreary and cold after everything went down and there was nothing that she thought could bring her out of her solemn stupor. </p><p>Until Diana returned, that is.</p><p>It was like a match had been lit under her as she heard the soft melody of her bosom friend.</p><p>"Anne?" A quiet knock was pressed to the door followed by a deafening silence. Anne stared wide-eyed at the door for a few moments, much longer than she wanted to, before bounding to the door. Throwing it open with a large swing, Anne let out a relieved sigh at the sight of Diana's black hair against her favorite blue. Her back was turned to Anne, but not for long as the light slam of the door caught her attention.</p><p>"Diana," Anne breathed. Diana broke out into a bright smile at the sight of her dear friend after so long and rushed towards her, enveloping her in a hug. It was quiet again for a few minutes, this time, however, the silence was comforting and endearing unlike what she had surrounded herself in before.</p><p>"Oh, Anne, it's good to see you!" Diana hummed, pulling away. Her face fell at the sight of Anne's unusually red nose and puffy eyes, and her hands immediately went to cup Anne's damp cheeks. "Anne? What's wrong?" Diana's face creased in worry as Anne shook her head slowly with a small smile, a few tears escaping that were quickly wiped away. </p><p>"Nothing, Diana," Anne began, but upon seeing Diana's suspicious eyes she moved her hands to hold Diana's close to her. "It's nothing, Diana, now that you're here."</p><p>Diana squeezed Anne's face with a gentle touch and pressed their foreheads together: "I don't believe you for a second, Anne Shirley Cuthbert, but for now I'll let it go. Just for you," Anne smiled in gratitude and pulled Diana in for another hug, moving their embrace further into the room in order to shut the door that Anne had so carelessly flung open. Hopefully Madam hadn't heard that.</p><p>The night was rather quiet, Diana noted, but she learned that Anne had become accustomed to it, and even rather fond of it at times. This worried Diana even more, but she pushed those thoughts aside to focus her full attention on Anne. Yet, the noticeably overturned photo frames and ripped pictures scattered around her room made Diana's mind wander, and as she made her way out of Anne's room to return to retire for the night her thoughts settled on what was wrong: Gilbert.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I've decided that their theme song should be Trouble by Cage the Elephant, let me know your thoughts...<br/>Also thank you to my friend Gin to helping me with this second portion of this chapter, I got a little stuck. That's kind of just a glimpse into the future and a contrast as it shows what will happen when Gilbert leaves.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. The Oblivious Anne Shirley</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>This time, Gilbert and Anne actually get around to talking.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>(Anne)</p><p>"Can we talk?" Gilbert came up to her after class, and she was surprised to say the least. Stumbling out of her chair, Anne managed a meek nod. She knew this was no cause for commotion, but Diana's slight smirk and nudge to her shoulder didn't help matters. </p><p>"Don't worry, Anne, I won't bother waiting up for you. I can walk with Ruby," she said almost a little too excitedly, flashing the pair a triumphant smile before making her way over to Ruby in a poorly contained fit of laughter. Anne lowered her gaze and focused on a particularly interesting loose strand in the hem of her dress. She had every intention of blocking out Gilbert's existence, but he cleared his throat and made her realize that this confrontation was unavoidable.</p><p>"Right, sorry," she spoke, removing her hat and coat from the rack by the door. She found herself putting down her belongings in order to put on the coat, but when she stood again it was no longer on the bench next to her. He held it in his hands, offering it to her with an annoyingly infectious smile. She reached for it, but apparently he had other things in mind as he positioned the coat so her arm instead landed inside its hole in the coat. He carefully slid the coat over her other arm before backing away - as though this gesture was something more than a display of his polite mannerisms. </p><p>The silence hung heavy as she proceeded to put on her hat and collect her things.</p><p>
  <em>Where is Miss Stacy? She surely wouldn't leave this early, would she? </em>
</p><p>Anne almost scolded herself for thinking of such things while there were clearly more important matters at hand, but her subconsciousness had a fair point.</p><p>Today was one of the rare occasions where the Queens applicants had a day off from their prolonged studies. However, it seemed rather strange that she and Gilbert were the only two left in the schoolhouse. Almost as though it were planned. </p><p>Before she could give this speculation any more thought, she forced herself to leave the schoolhouse, well aware of the steady pair of eyes watching her. </p><p>"So, what'd you need to talk to me about?" Anne asked, gently nudging a rock with her foot. She turned to look back and make sure he was following her - it wouldn't suit her to get home late and have no time to help Marilla with dinner. As he finally approached, she turned to face the path and began walking, leaving it to him to match her pace.</p><p>"Have you talked to Cole recently?" Gilbert seemed to be scolding himself internally; that was a rather stupid question. Anne noticed this and felt herself grin.</p><p>"Yes, I suppose I have," she retorted, green eyes turning upward to gage his response. He didn't smile at this as she predicted, though - he simply managed a small frown. She looked back down at her feet, deciding it wouldn't be worth it to get her hopes up about whatever this was.</p><p>She knew he wanted to ask. However, another few minutes passed before he spoke again.</p><p>"What did he tell you?"</p><p>Now that was the one question that Anne didn't want to answer. Not because of what he said, per say, but because of what it meant. What did it mean? </p><p>"Hm...I don't recall, exactly. Did you need him to tell me something?"</p><p>He scoffed audibly and stopped in his tracks, turning to look at her with incredulous eyes. </p><p>"Really? You can recall the quadratic formula and quote the Bronte sisters at the drop of a hat, but you can't remember what Cole told you?"</p><p>He was right, of course. That was a rather stupid excuse. </p><p>"Well if it was something that you had no intention of telling me, then it shouldn't have mattered." she retorted, feeling uncomfortable in her own skin as she stood incredibly still next to him. What was he playing at? There was clearly nothing going on between them and she was fairly certain she still completely hated him.</p><p>"Whatever, Anne," Gilbert huffed, turning away from her and straightening his satchel.</p><p>She felt her eyes widen at his acerbic tone. It wasn't necessarily his reply that struck her so harshly, it was the fact that it had come from Gilbert Blythe. Gilbert Blythe who had always been kind and understanding and forgiving. And she felt the need to reach out to him. To apologize.</p><p>"Gil, wait..." she muttered softly, knowing that that alone wouldn't be enough to slow him down. They had reached the Lake of Shining Waters, and that was when Anne realized that this clearly wasn't on his way. He was walking her home. With a newfound determination, she jogged lightly to catch up to him and grabbed him by the arm. "Just...listen to me for a second."</p><p>He stared at her hopefully in the way that made her want to disappear from the scrutiny of his gaze. </p><p>"I didn't mean it like that, really...I just...I don't know what you want me to say. He only told me that you thought I had a nice smile, and to me that's very nice but I don't understand why-"</p><p>"You're honestly so oblivious, Anne Shirley Cuthbert."</p><p>"No I'm <em>not</em>," She resisted her urge to stomp away, knowing that that would indefinitely cement her stance as a childish little girl. Green Gables couldn't seem further away.</p><p>"Really? So you realize, then, that Charlie Sloane has been trying to get your attention for the better half of the year?" he cocked an eyebrow as though expecting her response, looking slightly amused as she gawked at him. </p><p>"He has <em>not</em>-"</p><p>"Oh but he has, Anne, and can you imagine how stupid that makes me feel when you can't even see that?" he let out a deep breath before continuing, as though discussing this with her took some physical toll on him. "You can't even see that, yet you go around <em>kissing </em>people like-"</p><p>"What is <em>wrong </em>with you-" Anne threw up an accusatory hand in protest, set on smacking him across the face while her face turned as red as her hair. </p><p>"No, let me finish, because someone had to say something. I only said that to Cole because Charlie was <em>right there</em> and-"</p><p>"But why? Do you think you're <em>staking your claim</em> or some absurd-"</p><p>"No, Anne! I just didn't like the way Charlie was acting...like <em>he</em> had some claim on you."</p><p>"So you thought it'd be a good idea to go ahead and take over in that respect, did you?" she folded her arms across her chest, abandoning her basket on the floor. </p><p>"Sorry, I didn't think that would repulse you so much...and it's not like I'm taking notice or anything - I just thought you might prefer to be left alone than to be claimed like some prize."</p><p><em>That was almost sweet</em>, Anne thought. But she couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't telling her the complete truth. Perhaps, he was telling her the complete truth, and she had simply let her imagination run wild with the possibility of it being more. </p><p>"You didn't have to walk me home just to tell me that, you know," she flashed him a sheepish grin, causing him to blush profusely. He bent down and picked up her books, handing them to her. Their hands touched again and Gilbert's touch seemed to linger as she slid them from his grasp. </p><p>"I know," he mumbled softly, and as he gazed at her she knew that there was going to be a lot left unsaid. "I just didn't want there to be any misunderstandings."</p><p>Misunderstandings. Of course.</p><p>"Well, no misunderstandings here," she laughed awkwardly and fiddled with the leather strap securing her books. "As long as you didn't mean whatever Cole said you did?"</p><p>She hadn't meant it to come out as a question - a question full of hope and possibilities. Anne felt so foolish, but he clearly didn't seem to mind. He seemed to welcome it, in fact. Like he had been waiting for her to ask this whole time. </p><p>Gilbert placed his hand on her cheek and smiled, brushing away a lock of her signature red hair. </p><p>"Oh, no, that part is true. I meant everything I said." </p><p>He released her from his grasp, grinning, and with one final wave he headed back down the path towards his house. He didn't look back once, but Anne knew that he was likely quite pleased with himself knowing that she was still standing there in shock. She was now alone in the cold, and Marilla would not be happy with her. </p><p>------</p><p>(Diana)</p><p>Fifty days. That was all that remained now until she would be plucked away from reality and shoved into some Parisian boarding school where she would learn how to become a <em>proper</em> lady. But, strangely enough, everything felt normal. She still walked to school with Anne, gossiped with her friends about boys, and maintained her above average - but not <em>too </em>above average, because apparently suitors did not appreciate a woman who was smarter than them - grades. </p><p>Suitors. Good Lord. That all seemed so far away, but it was all her mother talked about nowadays. Boarding school would cement her place as a woman in high society, leaving behind her <em>girlhood </em>forever.</p><p>Diana scoffed.</p><p>What was that even supposed to mean?</p><p>And here, lying dormant on her canopy bed, was the only time where Diana was about to mull over these thoughts and convince herself that she wasn't going completely mad.</p><p>Everyone else seemed to be. Anne, whether she'd admit it or not, was clearly enraptured by her studies and, less obviously, Gilbert Blythe. It almost bothered her a bit, knowing that Anne's attention was continuously diverted away from her upcoming departure. Still, Anne was doing her best, and she knew that when it came down to it she would be the one helping her pack and sobbing the entire way.</p><p>Ruby's behavior was of a similar plight, but she was also less concerned with the academic factor and more concerned with the possibility of multiple suitors. She claimed that she'd moved away from whatever infatuation she'd had with Gilbert, although Diana knew that this wasn't entirely true. It was getting better, yes, but she saw the way Ruby would stare at him when she believed no one else was looking. More often now, though, she'd catch her behaving similarly around Moody Spurgeon. Not that she could blame her - Moody had definitely grown into his looks well over the past few years, growing several inches taller and maturing significantly. Which was good, of course, for Ruby. But not for Diana. </p><p>Then there was Cole, and she knew that he wanted desperately to go back and live with Aunt Josephine. It was likely that that was where he'd end up once they all graduated. But, for now, he remained there with them in Avonlea, waiting for his opportunity to escape to Charlottetown.</p><p>"Diana, dear, <em>please </em>get up and do something productive with your day," her mother pulled open the satin curtains, letting in an unwelcome stream of harsh light. </p><p>"It's dark and dreary outside, <em>mother</em>," Diana whined and forced herself into a sitting position on her bed. "But I'll go practice piano, if you wish." </p><p>It was obvious she wanted to comment on the state of disrepair of Diana's room, but she mentioned nothing of it. Mrs. Barry gave her a terse nod and glanced around the room before leaving. </p><p>Diana let out a long sigh and jumped off of her bed, preparing to pace herself as she worked through the compositions of Bach and Mozart.</p><p>There was a tapping sound coming from her window. Diana wrinkled her nose and frowned, exclaiming, "Minnie May, you were supposed to be practicing your arithmetic, <em>not</em>-"</p><p>She immediately shut up at the sight of Jerry Baynard below her window, throwing rocks as though their house didn't include a perfectly functioning front door. </p><p>"Jerry, <em>what </em>are you doing?!" she exclaimed exasperatedly as she pried open the window.</p><p>Oh, right. That was the other thing Diana had forgotten to mention. She'd been secretly meeting up with Jerry for two months. Well, more like secretly meeting up with him after school on her way home. And it wasn't as though the Barrys were completely unaware of Diana's escapades - she <em>did </em>spend one lovely evening having dinner with his family. But that had been the end of it, according to them. No amount of generosity or kind words would change that. </p><p>"I wanted to see you," he explained, the corners of his mouth turning upwards as he analyzed her bewildered expression.</p><p>"You're not supposed to <em>be </em>here," she hissed, but she made no effort to end their conversation as she edged her head further out the window.</p><p>"I finished Frankenstein," he continued as though she hadn't spoken. "I don't think I understand it quite as much as you do, but...perhaps we could talk about it? You could explain it to me. You've always been so good at that..."</p><p>She hoped he couldn't see her blushing from so far away. With his compliments, a momentarily lapse of judgement usually followed.</p><p>"I'll be down in a moment. Meet me by the tree," she provided no further explanation as she lowered her window shut with a small <em>thud</em>. She took her time coming down the stairs so as to not raise suspicion, but it was hard to dilute the obvious satisfaction that glazed her expression. Minnie May watched her with wide eyes as she approached the door.</p><p>"Dianaaaa, come help me with the piano right now! Mother said it was your turn," she whined, sweeping her arm across her forehead in a dramatic motion. "I may faint from all this activity!" </p><p>She smashed the keys a few more times for good measure before crumpling into a defeated heap on the floor. </p><p>It was difficult for Diana to contain her fit of laughter, and so she barged out the door and slammed it behind her before anyone could stop her. She was sure she could hear Minnie May's muffled screams of protests even as the distance between her and the house grew.</p><p>She saw Jerry's boot peeking out from the roots of their large tree and she rolled her eyes. He never really had been one for covert meetings or secrecy. Nevertheless, she carefully approached the tree before latching onto his shoulder to frighten him.</p><p>"It's just me, Jerry,"</p><p>"I know," he replied, reaching for her hand and planting a kiss on it. Diana nearly leapt into his arms right then.</p><p>"Hello there," she whispered with a grin, plucking the novel from his grasp. "I heard you required an explanation of <em>Frankenstein</em>."</p><p>He blushed profusely as she fingered through the novel, occasionally pointing out her favorite quotes or some cleverly hidden symbolism. They ended up taking a lengthy walk through the forest and the backroads of town, careful to stay away from anywhere where Mrs. Lynde was known to get her gossip.</p><p>Of course, this fantasy was forced to an end, just as they all had been.</p><p>"I have to go home soon, Jerry. I'm sure my mother is furious that I left so abruptly..."</p><p>"Abruptly?"</p><p>"So soon, I mean. I was supposed to be practicing Mozart, and if I'm not back soon Mother will likely send out a search party or something foolish like that-"</p><p>"Or I could walk you home and you could introduce me," </p><p>Diana felt her heart leap from her chest as she sensed the hope in his voice. </p><p>"I don't know if that's such a good idea, my mother can be a bit...judgmental." </p><p>"I'll see you some other time, then," he shrugged and began to continue further down the path, leaving her with the battered copy of <em>Frankenstein</em>. </p><p>She wished they could have stayed there forever, sitting there under that tree, chatting mindlessly without a care in the world.</p><p>------</p><p>(Gilbert)</p><p>Gilbert could envision Sebastian's voice in his head, congratulating him for finally "being a man" and saying something to Anne. However, this feeling soon faded and was replaced by doubt and worry. What if Anne didn't take him seriously? His confession had come so abruptly - perhaps she thought he was only joking. Did she realize it was a confession at all? Truthfully, Anne Shirley Cuthbert was the smartest person he knew, but she was oblivious when it came to matters of the heart. And now he sounded like a foolish, lovesick little boy. </p><p>Brilliant.</p><p>He nodded to Mary as he made his way inside his house, commenting on how delicious her cooking smelled. </p><p>"Delphine is asleep, but Bash is outside fixing the fence if you want to give him a hand," she barely gave him a second glance as he passed, which Gilbert was thankful for. Mary had a particular gift for being able to read people like a book, and he was no exception. She would've been able to tell immediately that he had finally done something about his situation with Anne. </p><p>"Great, I'll see you for supper," he muttered, making his way out back where he spotted his partner struggling to lift a piece of wood for the fence's structure. </p><p>"Need a hand?" Gilbert smirked at his friend's abrupt movements - he had clearly scared the man.</p><p>"Someone took the long way home," Bash mused as he leaned against the nearby post, no doubt exhausted from his previous exertion. He gestured to the broken fence, implying that it was Gilbert's turn to give it a try.</p><p>"Yes," he answered carefully. Bash always had a way of always getting him to confess eventually, but today was not that day. He pushed the post into place, blocking out Bash's joking comments about how he had done all the heavy lifting. <em>Obviously</em>, it was just luck that Gilbert had managed to do it himself.</p><p>"Spill it," Bash demanded, fixing him with a stare that meant somehow he had figured out what Gilbert was hiding.</p><p>"I don't know what you're talking about," </p><p>"Really? Because you've been ignoring me for the past five minutes and I can just <em>tell </em>you're <em>itching </em>to tell me something," he cocked an eyebrow and proceeded to gently nudge Gilbert's shoulder. "C'mon, Blythe, trouble in paradise?"</p><p>"No, I...I think I may have told Anne how I feel about her,"</p><p>Gilbert didn't think he'd ever seen a man move so fast. Within seconds, Bash had sprung up and was halfway back to the house. Approximately two minutes later, Gilbert had caught up, and Mary was putting on tea in preparation of their long-anticipated discussion.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm experimenting with the possibility of including different POVs, but it's still not going to be first person. Let me know what you think!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Intentions</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Gilbert and Cole have an awkward confrontation, and the scheduled dinner between the Cuthberts and the Barrys doesn’t go as planned.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>(Gilbert)</p><p>"Hold on, Blythe, what do you mean you <em> may </em>have told Anne how you feel about her?!" Bash demanded. Mary raised a brow as well, and for once it seemed she didn't object to her husband's questions. She looked up to Gilbert for a response, gently bobbing Delphine on her knee.</p><p>"It's...complicated," he explained. "I don't really know if-"</p><p>"I called it, by the way. It’s been totally obvious that you like her! Face it Blythe, you have been in love with Anne Shirley Cuthbert ever since-"</p><p>"For heaven's sake, Bash, let the boy finish!" Mary scolded and tossed her towel at the man. Her expression changed in an instant as she caught the eye of her daughter, who giggled with glee. Even with Mary's interruption, Gilbert easily guessed where Bash was going with his statement, and it took him a minute to compose himself as he realized the weight of his actions. He drew in a breath, letting it out slowly.</p><p>"Actually, I don’t suppose it was anything at all then...nothing of significance, anyway," Gilbert muttered lightly, excusing himself from the table in the process. "I was just messing with you Bash...nothing really happened."</p><p>Neither Mary nor Sebastian seemed to believe this, but they knew better than to press him any further at the moment. They exchanged a knowing look but said nothing else to Gilbert, silently excusing themselves from the table to continue going about their day.</p><p>Gilbert could still hear them continuing their banter as he left the house:</p><p>"<em> Honestly </em> Bash, no wonder he doesn't ever want to tell us anything, <em> you </em>-"</p><p>"We're not his <em> parents </em> , Mary, he can do as he damn well pleases but he must know that it's going to happen eventually if only he wasn’t so <em> stubborn </em>-”</p><p>Gilbert turned away from the door, not wanting to hear any more of their argument. Truthfully, Gilbert didn't know where he was going until he ended up on Cole Mackenzie's doorstep.</p><p>------</p><p>(Cole)</p><p>There were few things in life that Cole couldn't anticipate. Truthfully, his entire life was already planned out for him - a life of farming, mundane activities, and, yes, more farming. His only comfort came from the fact that he would be accompanying Anne and Diana on a trip to Charlottetown soon - under false pretenses, of course. The group had already spent several hours mulling over the possibilities of the trip, but Cole had made up his mind already that no matter what happened, he would not be returning to Avonlea. His head was filled with a variation of these thoughts as he saw Gilbert Blythe approaching their small shack. He made a mental note of his expression and demeanor to aid in the story he would tell Anne later. </p><p>"<em> What the hell? </em>" Cole muttered to himself, apparently not quietly enough as it earned him a glare from his mother. She opened her mouth to reprimand him, but whatever she said was of no consequence to Cole. He set down the onions he had been chopping and peered through the window. There were no curtains, making it quite obvious that Cole was staring at the newcomer. </p><p>"Is someone there, Cole?" his mother grunted disapprovingly. He remained silent for a moment, still contemplating what on earth Gilbert Blythe was doing at his house. </p><p>"Just...just a friend from school. I'll get it!" </p><p>He opened the door as Gilbert raised his hand to knock. </p><p>"Oh, Cole. Hi."</p><p>
  <em> Don’t look so surprised Blythe, you’ve been standing there for five minutes.  </em>
</p><p>"Gilbert. Sorry, I...I saw you coming up the path."</p><p>"Right," Gilbert responded awkwardly, his hands shoved into his pockets. "Do you think you could walk with me for a minute?"</p><p>His mother seemed relieved that he had a friend that wasn't a “useless girl,” so she waved him off with a warning about being home in an hour. Cole managed a tight smile as he shut the door behind them. He already had his own suspicions on what would bring Gilbert Blythe to his house, but Gilbert's current expression made it all the more obvious. This clearly wasn't a social call - the boys had barely had a conversation <em> in </em>school, especially not outside of it. He was here about Anne, and he was forcing Cole to be right in the middle of it.</p><p>"So," Gilbert tried awkwardly to begin. </p><p>Cole almost burst into laughter there, forcing himself to turn his head away so it would be less obvious. Gilbert seemed so genuinely <em> freaked out </em>, it was hilarious. He wondered what would happen if he screamed at him. Anything just to get a reaction from Avonlea's golden boy. He probably could've done anything and it would have made no difference; Gilbert was clearly waiting for him to speak first and he was hanging onto every word he said.</p><p>"What can I help you with, Blythe?"</p><p>The silence that followed was rather uncharacteristic of the charming raven haired boy, and it was equally as frustrating. For a few minutes, there was nothing but the sound of their feet shuffling against the earth, occasionally diluted by the cracking of fallen tree branches under their feet. Cole decided he wouldn't press the matter any further - it was <em> Gilbert </em>who had come to see him, after all, not the other way around. He wasn’t about to go out of his way to force a conversation that he hadn’t initiated.</p><p>Gilbert was the first to break the silence, responding carefully to Cole's earlier question, "I know what you told Anne."</p><p>Cole could hardly stifle his laughter, and it ended up coming out as more of a snort. "You do?" he paused to examine Gilbert's expression.</p><p>"That was none of your business. No one appreciates you spreading lies like that.”</p><p>“<em> Lies </em>? Are you calling me a liar, Blythe?”</p><p>“No, I-”</p><p>“Because it sure sounds like it. And I’m certainly not <em> all-knowing </em> , but my hearing is fairly decent, and you were clearly going <em> on and on </em>about Anne while you were talking with Charlie. It was rather boring actually - we get it. I think you scared the lad half to death,”</p><p>“I did nothing of the sort,” Gilbert replied indignantly, fixing Cole with a glare. Cole refused to meet his gaze.</p><p>Was this why he was here? A petty fight? Cole was honestly in no mood to spend his time idly circling around the truth.</p><p>"Right...well I’m sure you did nothing of the sort, then. Anyways, I suspected that it was hardly a secret," Cole obviously already knew that Gilbert had no intentions of telling Anne about his furtive compliment - it was fun nonetheless to watch Gilbert squirm.</p><p>"Unless...you didn't mean for her to hear that? But you think it's perfectly fine to go around telling the other boys about how much you like her, when Anne herself doesn't even know? That sounds a bit like jealousy to me...you staking your claim in front of Charlie. You're honestly dogs, the whole lot of you," </p><p>Gilbert finally stopped and looked him squarely in the eyes. Cole knew that Gilbert wasn't one to be violent, but he wondered if this meeting was an exception. Apparently not - so Cole continued on with no more than a second glance at Gilbert's bewildered expression.</p><p>"It's not like that," Gilbert huffed. He still had his <em> stupid </em>hands shoved in his pockets...it wasn't even that cold. "I was just trying to get Charlie away from her, not-"</p><p>"So you could have her all to yourself? She's not a piece of property, Blythe," the artist teased, although he was partially serious. He knew of Gilbert's intentions, but it seemed that the boy himself had no idea what he wanted. </p><p>"If you would let me finish a bloody sentence-"</p><p>"Someone's riled up-"</p><p>"I <em> don't </em>like her!" </p><p><em> Really? This is going to be more difficult than anticipated, </em>Cole thought, hoping his annoyance didn't show. </p><p>"Alright then, you don't like her," Cole's arms shot up defensively and he shrugged. "Still doesn't explain why you said that to Charlie, <em> or </em> why you came all the way to my house to...what, exactly? Have a chat about how much you <em> don't </em> like Anne? Because frankly, I have other things to do, so I'll let you sort this out and I'll come back another time."</p><p>Was that a bit too forward?</p><p>Possibly.</p><p>"I just don't think Charlie is a very nice person, is all...and I don't think he has good intentions," he explained.</p><p>"Well, I think we both know that Anne is more than capable of judging one’s character and making her own decisions. If that's all you had on your mind then I'm sure you have nothing to worry about," Cole replied. At this point he was about two seconds away from just screaming at the bothersome boy and telling him he needed to sort out his feelings. </p><p>"Right, of course," he produced a firm smile. "I’m sure that’s the case, and I’ll just...let Anne handle it.” </p><p>“Listen, I would appreciate it if you didn't tell Anne about this little...encounter."</p><p>"So let me get this right...you don't want me to tell Anne that you don't like her? But if you don't like her then that shouldn't matter,"</p><p>"<em> Cole </em>-"</p><p>"No promises, Blythe. Have a good night, though!" he exclaimed, ignoring Gilbert's cries of protest as he began to walk in the other direction. He wouldn't tell Anne now, that much was correct, but it would be a different story when they went to school the following week.</p><p>------</p><p>(Anne)</p><p>There was nothing on earth quite as heavenly as the smell of peach cobbler. Well, possibly the blossoms outside of her window. Or the Lake of Shining Waters. Nevermind, Anne couldn't choose. </p><p>"Go get the nice wicker basket over on the counter, Anne," Marilla chastised, busying herself with the chicken pot pie in the kitchen. </p><p>"What's the special occasion?"</p><p>"What? There's no occasion, just-"</p><p>"You only make peach cobbler to impress guests," Anne retorted grumpily, setting the forks on the table with a <em> clang </em>. Matthew jumped a bit in his seat as he noticed his daughter's annoyance. </p><p>"I don't know what's made you so insufferable today but I would advise you to stop acting like a child at once," Marilla's stern glare kept her quiet. "We are going over to the Barrys for supper and I expect you to behave yourself. Mrs. Barry thought it might be nice to have us over before Diana...leaves."</p><p>"You mean before Mrs. Barry ships her off to Paris never to be seen again," Anne grumbled, ignoring Matthew's look of disapproval as she placed the peach cobbler in the basket and put the silverware back in its proper drawer.</p><p>"Yes...well, it would do you some good to make the most of the time you have left instead of wallowing in self-pity. Go make yourself look presentable, please,"</p><p>The redhead let out a frustrated groan and stomped up the stairs, making sure to stop her behavior only before she was scolded again. Once she reached her room, she took out her nicest dress and laid it out on her bed, examining it for stains or wrinkles. When she decided it was to her satisfaction, she put the dress on and settled with wearing her hair in two neat braids for the evening. Using the ribbon Marilla had given her, she secured the braids. Looking herself over in the mirror, Anne couldn't help but succumb to her own <em> vanity </em>(as Marilla liked to call it). She truly looked splendid, and if her hair had been anything other than its dreaded color, she may have even looked like a princess. A princess in a land somewhere far away - one who did not require the assistance of any prince or "friend" or whatever a romantic interest may be disguised as. </p><p>"It's time for dinner, Princess Cordelia," Anne leapt to a different position in the room, pretending to be a loyal yet humble maid. She then jumped back to her previous position in front of the mirror. "I will be there shortly; please make sure the carriage is prepared for our <em> treacherous </em>journey," she sighed and adjusted her hair a final time before heading back downstairs. </p><p>Marilla asked, "Have you calmed down?"</p><p>Anne felt that this question did not deserve her words - or if Anne spoke she would likely use so many words that it frightened Marilla - so she simply nodded and busied herself with tying her shoe laces. Marilla rolled her eyes and muttered something to herself, but left Anne alone otherwise. </p><p>"Did you fetch the eggs this morning?" Matthew inquired, rather meaninglessly in fact. It was simply his mind working double-time to try and decipher some excuse as to why he would need to stay home.</p><p>"Let's <em> go </em>, Matthew," Marilla warned, shooting him a glare that meant he had about five seconds to get up before Marilla dragged him out the door herself. With some exertion, he rose from the chair and took the basket from Anne, who happily skipped outside and waited for Jerry to appear with the wagon. As he appeared, she imagined it was instead a luxurious carriage, decorated (rather impractically) with the finest silks and riches money could buy. </p><p>"Our chariot awaits!" she cried, nearly shoving Jerry off the horse as she took her spot on the back of the wagon. She preferred the view from the back of the wagon; it was much easier to take in the sights of the town as though for the first time. Marilla only nodded in acknowledgement as she climbed onto her seat.</p><p>------</p><p>“They’re here!” Minnie May exclaimed, finally removing her nose from its original position pressed up against the window. Mrs. Barry scolded her half-heartedly before checking her appearance in the mirror by the foyer. </p><p>“Diana!” her name came out as more of a shriek as her mother beckoned her towards the door for the <em> perfect </em>familial introduction, as though the Barrys had not conversed with the Cuthberts hundreds of times before. </p><p>She smiled brightly as one of the Barrys’ maids opened the front door, presenting them with the cobbler Marilla had made. </p><p>“Oh, that is simply <em> wonderful </em>, Anne, thank you kindly,” Diana gushed. Mrs. Barry nodded to the dish in Anne’s hand, and the maid took it away to the kitchen without a sound. </p><p>“Yes, what a...delight,” Mrs. Barry forced a smile. “Marilla, Matthew - it’s nice to see you both as well. Please come in,” </p><p>Matthew nodded and guided Marilla inside the house with his hand on the small of her back; Anne was already halfway into the living room and chattering lively with Diana. Minnie May trailed near the back of the group, waiting for her mother to chastise her before she followed.</p><p>“I trust you’ve been well,” Mrs. Barry continued. Diana and Anne exchanged knowing glances at her mother’s attempt at civility. This was clearly some sort of attempt to make Diana accept her fate and go quietly to finishing school, but the girls wouldn’t stick their noses up at an opportunity to see each other. </p><p>“Yes, quite,” Marilla replied, nudging Matthew with her elbow. He grunted in response before quietly excusing himself to the dining room. </p><p>“Oh, I thought perhaps Diana could play something for us before we ate? I’m sure she’d love to practice for a new audience,” she motioned for Diana to take a seat at the piano, to which Diana lowered her eyes and averted her mother’s gaze. “I thought it might be nice if we waited for Mr. Barry as well, as he is out at the present.” </p><p>Marilla, Matthew, and Anne squeezed onto the two-person loveseat situated in front of one of the windows in the Barrys’ main living room. Mrs. Barry settled herself on a hall chair nearby; she flashed Minnie May a look of contempt as her younger daughter sat rather ungracefully on the floor. </p><p>“Why don’t you play Ave Maria, dear?” Mrs. Barry suggested, though the look in her eyes demonstrated that she meant it as more of a demand. Diana managed a nod and began playing the song, creating an effortlessly beautiful melody. </p><p>Diana’s playing was interrupted by a knock on the door.</p><p>“Oh, that must be Mr. Barry,” </p><p>Silence.</p><p>“Gertrude, <em> please </em>answer the door!” Mrs. Barry exclaimed. Diana and Anne could hardly contain their foolish laughter, but Minnie May made no effort to do so. Poor Mrs. Barry shot her a glare before focusing on the door once again. </p><p>More silence.</p><p>Mrs. Barry, quite exasperated, got up from her seat and approached the door.</p><p>“<em> Gertrude </em>-” </p><p>“Mr. Gilbert Blythe is here, ma’am,” Gertrude said.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Okay, so I have no valid excuse for why it took me so long to update, especially since this chapter was kind of mediocre...but I'm going to try and update more frequently in the future so enjoy!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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